Specials
by miano53
Summary: "A Special is a human who has superhuman or near supernatural abilities, born after the opening of Kingdom Hearts. They are regarded in some nations as a 'homo superior' and are treated with the same status as a normal human. In most other nations, they are feared and are used as weapons of war," Encyclopedia Spiran. AU (Revamped for easier reading 6-5-13.)
1. Prologue

_I thought about doing something like this, but I didn't know if it will go down well. This story will be similar to the Books series, but more like Heroes…somewhat. So, here's the prologue and the first chapter. As usual, I own nothing! NADA! So, don't start getting mad or anything._

_-miano53_

Prologue: Executive Orders

_Executive Order 193, written 14 May 2500 A.K.H._

_Due to the recent rise in crime that involved Specials here in Midgar, the government is to capture all specials and categorize them into five categories. _

_Category 1 Specials are the weakest and are no threat to themselves or humankind._

_Category 2 Specials are to be monitored at D level (police forces) and pose a slight risk to themselves and to humankind._

_Category 3 Specials are to be monitored at the C level (police forces and agents) and pose a risk to themselves and to humankind._

_Category 4 Specials are to be monitored at the B level (police forces, government agents, wiretaps and camera monitoring) and pose a great risk to themselves and to humankind._

_Category 5 Specials are to be monitored at the A level (police forces, government agents, wiretaps, camera monitoring, and jailing, if possible) and pose the greatest risk to themselves and to humankind._

_Categories 4 and 5 Specials are to be captured and jailed immediately. The others are to be monitored at the levels specified._

_-Shinra President, Rufus Shinra, Sr._

* * *

_Executive Order 200, written 13 June 2502 A.K.H._

_Due to rebellions of both normal humans and Specials in 14 of the 25 districts of , all government agents are to arrest and categories every Special captured. Putting them back into society is much too dangerous as they will aid the rebels._

_-Shinra President, Rufus Shinra, Sr._

* * *

_Executive Order 201, written 30 December 2502 A.K.H._

_Due to the declaration of war by the nations of Traverse, Wutai, Radiant Garden, Balamb Garden and Spira, captured Category 4 and 5 Special can and will be used as soldiers for the war effort. They will also be used as the police force to help capture the now elusive rebels and other hidden Specials. _

_-Shinra President, Rufus Shinra, Sr._

* * *

_Executive Order 230, written 7 September 2503 A.K.H._

_Since the kingdom of Qing and the Empire of Nippon has joined with the other nations after the fall of Traverse to Shinra forces, half of every citizen's income will be used for the war effort. Anyone who does not obey or aids any fleeing Specials will be subjected to immediate jailing and/or execution._

_-Shinra President, Rufus Shinra, Sr._


	2. Chapter One

_After much decision, I decided to delete the older chapters and rewrite most of the chapters as some things didn't make sense. So, hopefully the rewritten chapters will this time. If it does, just tell me in the review section._

_-miano53_

* * *

"_There are only a few recorded Specials that have the ability to control atmospheric events such as rainstorms, wind gales, etc. They are usually used by nations to remove droughts in a region, lower temperatures in regions under heat waves and even used in the war effort. If that kind of Special loses their mental control…the effects are devastating."_

_-Encyclopedia Shinra, vol. 3_

Chapter One: Arrest

_May 18, 2504 A.K.H., a house in Modeoheim…_

_A four year old girl with blue hair woke up in the middle of the night due to her mother shaking her awake. The young brown haired mother looked rather scared as she shook her daughter awake._

_"Time to get up, Aqua," she said in a calm voice._

_Aqua sleepily got up out of bed and was carried into a closet. In her half-asleep state, she heard persistent banging on the front door. Her mother's face was that of absolute terror and the woman looked at her daughter. _

"_Aqua, stay here and whatever you do, don't come out," her mother told her._

_The woman then left the little girl in the closet. When the door closed, Aqua fully awakened and heard someone talking with her mother. The noises were rather loud and it scared Aqua._

"_Where is the Special?" someone asked._

"_There are no Specials here," her mother said._

"_We know that your daughter is one. Her medical records show it," the unknown person said._

_Aqua could hear guns cocking and her mother started yelling, "She's not here!"_

_Within moments, the woman started screaming and it scared Aqua. "NO! You can't take her!" her mother yelled._

_After hearing that scream, shots were fired and Aqua saw that the upper part of the closet door was riddled with bullets. A thud was heard and blood seep from the door. In a timid voice, Aqua said, "Mommy…?"_

"_Search the house. The girl couldn't have gotten far," someone said._

_Aqua started to back up in the closet and attempted to hide behind some coats. When she did, the door to the closet was swung open. Aqua saw that Shinra troops had invaded her home and was bent on capturing her._

"_Found her," one of the troops said._

"_Aaah!" Aqua screamed._

_When she did, a blast of cold air hit the man who found her. Within seconds, the man was frozen. Aqua was about to run when more Shinra soldiers found her. _

"_Let me go! Let me go!" the girl screamed._

"_That's the last of them that surfaced. Let's go," the captain of the troop said._

_Before Aqua could protest any further, she was injected with a sedative…_

* * *

_Present day, Shinra Headquarters, 13 June 2519 A.K.H…_

"Aqua. Aqua. AQUA!" someone yelled.

Aqua, now 19 and wearing the blue female military uniform of Shinra agents, jolted with a start and looked around. "Are you okay?" a young man with black hair asked.

"I'm fine, Zack," Aqua said.

Zack Fair, age 21 and wearing the black male military uniform of Shinra agents, was among the few selected Specials chosen to fight in the war alongside Aqua. Just like Aqua, he was taken from his parents from his home at Gongaga after Shinra discovered he was a Special at age 6. Unlike Aqua, his parents weren't killed.

Seeing how quiet she became, Zack asked, "Well, what are you doing later? I was thinking about going to the movies with Cloud and Tifa. We're going to see 'The Dark Knight'."

Aqua, remembering Cloud's ability, asked, "Wait, isn't it a bad idea for Cloud to be in enclosed spaces…at night…?"

"Don't worry. It's not a full moon. He got his powers under control," Zack said.

"Don't worry about me. We should be worried about you," the 20-year-old Cloud Strife said, coming into the conference room.

He sat down at the table across from Aqua and the three saw their team leader enter the room. "Hey Angeal," Zack said.

Twenty seven-year-old Angeal Hewley, one of the leaders in the Shinra government's Specials' division, looked at the group and back at the files he carried in his hand. A large sword was in its sheath on his back and he wore the same attire as Zack and Cloud.

"Cloud's right. We should be more worried about you. The clouds thickened within the last ten minutes and, just about five seconds ago, it started raining," he said.

"I'm sorry," Aqua muttered.

"You okay?" Cloud asked.

Aqua shook her head and Zack said, "It's okay."

"It's about what happened before, right?" Cloud asked, knowing what happened when she was four.

Aqua nodded and Angeal told her, "Well, you have to calm down. The director is coming and we need clear skies for his plane to land."

"Alright," Aqua said.

She left the conference room and headed to the nearest window. Zack and Cloud, nosy, followed her and saw that she was looking out the window. It was just as Angeal had said.

The clouds were dark and rain poured down. Aqua sighed and started thinking about the clear night sky. When she did, Zack and Cloud saw that her aqua blue eyes turned an ice blue. The rain stopped and the clouds immediately dissipated, revealing the night sky. Afterwards, Aqua's eyes turned back to normal and the three headed back into the conference room.

About an hour later, the director of the Specials' division entered the room with several Shinra troops. "Wow, it's like the government don't trust us," Zack muttered.

"Shh," Aqua said to him.

The director sat down and Angeal gave him the files in his hand. The man opened it up and said, "Officer Aqua Tiberi, age 19...Category 5 Special known as a Storm Rider...Abilities include weather, electrical and water manipulation…"

"Sir?" Aqua said, confused.

"Officer Cloud Strife, age 20...Category 4 Special known as a Lunar Knight. Abilities include enhanced strength, speed, accelerated healing and…it's rumored that your powers grow stronger during the waxing moon phases and full moon. It is also rumored that you become more violent during those phases." the director said.

Cloud said nothing and the director went to Zack's file. "Officer Zack Fair, age 21...Category 4 Special known as a Mimic Knight. Abilities include enhanced strength, speed, accelerated healing and limited power mimicry through the Digital Mind Wave you have," the director said, reading.

After reading their files, the director said, "Well, files don't tell the whole of a person. I am Director Lazard of the Specials' division. I've heard from Lieutenant Hewley that you all are among the best of the best here. Your capture without casualties' rate is rather impressive."

"So, why are we here? We had plans for tonight," Zack said.

"_You_ had plans," Cloud said, correcting him.

"We have a new assignment for you. Look," the director said.

The four looked at the computer screens on the desk and saw the image of a man with spikey brown hair and blue eyes. He looked as if he was in his early twenties and Director Lazard gave the order.

"We want you to capture this newly surfaced Special. Based on his powers, we tried to identify his classification, but to no avail," Director Lazard said.

"So, you want us to find him, capture him and get his classification?" Aqua asked.

"Yes. But it will not be easy," Director Lazard said.

"The last thing that we've saw from the cameras, the Special is located somewhere in the slums. Once you're ready, let me know and we'll go," Angeal said.

Once they were ready, the group headed for the Midgar slums.

* * *

_Midgar slums, 10 p.m.…_

Once in the slums, Aqua, Zack and Cloud were told by Angeal to head for the church in the slums. "Why?" Aqua asked.

"Our Special was last seen there," Angeal told them over the phone.

"Okay, got it," Zack said.

Seeing that the city's protective plate covered the sky, Cloud said, "Well, I guess we won't have to worry about my powers gettin' outta control."

"Yeah, but we gotta worry about Aqua. Aren't your abilities cut in half down here?" Zack asked.

"Yes, but I'll be fine. I still have the water vapor in the air," Aqua explained.

"But the air's polluted," Cloud retorted.

"Then I'll make smog," Aqua said.

When she thought about it, fog appeared in the slums. When the fog mixed in with the slums' air, smog was created, making it even more difficult to see. After Zack noticed that the townsfolk couldn't see, he said, "Let's go."

After a while, the three found the church in the slums. Aqua dissipated the mist a bit and Cloud was able to see that armed people were in front of the church. "I wonder what's going on there," Zack said.

"Well, armed with all those guns, they're hiding something," Aqua said.

The two immediately heard Cloud grunt and Zack asked, "Did you take your medicine?"

Cloud looked exhausted and pulled out a bottle of pills. Taking two out, he started to shake and Aqua knew that he was weakening due to the lack of moonlight. Once he had taken the pills, however, he looked better.

"Okay, let's finish this quick before Cloud passes out," Zack said.

Aqua agreed to and the three headed closer to the church. Once they were close enough, Zack and Cloud began knocking out the armed guards. When that was done, Aqua summoned a gale and opened the doors to the chapel.

The three entered and Zack gasped. "It's no one here," he said, thinking the church made a trollface.

"The guards trolled us…" Cloud muttered.

"What is this? What's going on? Why am I talking like Stephano? That's impossi-bull." Zack said, putting a foreign accent in his voice.

"Why are you talking like that?" Aqua asked.

"I don't know, but I sound like Stephano," Zack said, still with the funny accent.

"Who are you?" someone asked.

The three looked around and saw a young woman with brown hair and green eyes hiding behind a column. She wore a pink ribbon in her hair and a blue dress. Due to the look in her eyes, Zack could tell that she was afraid.

"Hello there. We were just looking for someone," Zack said.

"If you were, then why did you blast the door down?" the woman asked.

"We didn't…" Cloud muttered.

"We'll be out of your hair. We're just looking for a guy with brown hair and blue eyes. He's about 6'0 and has spiky hair," Aqua said.

"Um…I haven't seen anyone like that around here today…" the lady told her.

"Well, if you do, here," Zack said.

He gave the woman the Shinra agent business cards and she read it. "Zack…Fair? That's your name?" she asked.

"Yep. Yours?" Zack said.

"Zack, we gotta go. She doesn't know anything and they'll be waking up soon," Aqua said.

"I'm Aerith. Aerith Gainsborough," Aerith said.

"Okay. So you'll call if you see anyone like that, right?" Zack said.

Aerith nodded and the three left. 'I guess we didn't have to fight those guards after all,' Zack thought.

* * *

_Slums, near the train station, 12 a.m.…_

After two hours of searching, the three didn't find their target. Nearing the 15th district, the three decided to abort the mission and head back home. "I think they're still showing movies this late," Zack said.

"Nah, can't. Tired," Cloud said.

"I'm tired too. We can try tomorrow night," Aqua yawned.

"But before we go back, let's just check the train station, okay?" Zack said.

"Alright," Aqua said.

The three headed into the train station and split up while looking for their target. With Cloud, he looked around and saw a brown haired man with spiky hair. He started to pursue him when he felt something very wrong.

"Aqua…" he said.

Sensing that she was in danger, Cloud rushed to where Aqua had walked off to. As he ran through the streets, he could feel a dark power emanating where Aqua wondered to.

'I hope I get there before it's too late,' Cloud thought.

* * *

With Zack, he headed into the station's café as he was hungry. At the counter, he said to the barista, "Can I get a blueberry scone and a large coffee? With lots of cream and sugar."

The barista nodded and started preparing his order when Zack was suddenly grabbed. The young man was thrown into a table and he saw who his attacker was. It was one of the rouge Specials the government was trying to capture from a previous mission and failed.

The few patrons left in the café suddenly ran out and the barista called the authorities. "Man, I can't get a break," Zack said.

The Berserker, a class of Special with super strength at the cost of their sanity, grabbed him again and threw him across the counter. Zack hit the coffee mugs and cappuccino makers, breaking them. The coffee hit him and burned his left arm, frightening the barista.

When she saw that he healed instantly, she knew that he was a Special. "Ow…" Zack said, getting up.

He immediately went back down when he saw the berserker throw a table at him. "Okay…not a good idea," Zack said.

Noticing that the barista was shaking from fear, he said, "Stay here, okay?"

Zack then jumped from behind the counter and yelled, "Officer Zack Fair, on the job!"

The Berserker swung a punch at him and, with his superhuman speed, Zack blocked the blow. He then attacked the berserker with several blinding punches and kicks. After he attacked, the Berserker collapsed to the ground, now unconscious.

"Sorry guy, but you did try to kill me," Zack told him.

The Shinra troops rushed up from behind Zack and captured the unconscious Special. After the Berserker was captured, Zack felt something very wrong. Aqua was in danger and apparently was being attacked by something from the dark.

"Aqua!" he said and ran off.

The barista, however, got up from behind the counter and said, "He didn't pay for his scone…"

* * *

With Aqua, she headed for the ticket booth and told the man inside about the target she was looking for. As she did, she didn't notice that someone was coming up from behind her, pushing passed several people.

"He should be at least 21. About 6'0...with brown hair and blue eyes," she said.

The man suddenly looked frightened and Aqua could see a figure wearing a black cloak from the window's reflection. The people behind her suddenly ran and the man called the authorities. The figure grabbed Aqua by her neck, choking her, and she could see his glowing yellow eyes.

"Shinra scum…What do you hope to accomplish? To eradicate all of us Specials? Or is it to win this war?" the figure said.

What the figure didn't know was that Aqua was a Special as well. As she was being choked by him, she looked up and saw that the sky was still covered by the plate in that district. So, to destroy her attacking opponent, she thought to shoot him with a bolt of lightning.

Since the plate blocked the sky, the electricity in the power lines reacted to her. The 100,000 volts of electricity jumped from the power lines and hit Aqua's assailant in the form of a bolt of lightning. That pushed the assailant back, forcing to release his grip around Aqua's neck, and onto the train tracks. He was about to get up when a train suddenly came out of nowhere, hitting him. Due to the sudden mental strain, Aqua passed out.

Moments later, Cloud and Zack arrived at Aqua's location and saw Shinra troops were coming to her direction. They rushed over to her side and saw that she was unconscious. "Aqua, wake up!" Zack said, shaking her.

When the Shinra troops arrived, Cloud showed his badge so they wouldn't attempt to arrest them. "Where's the assailant? The Ticketmaster said that a rouge Special was here," the captain said.

"A rouge Special attacked her?" Zack asked.

"Apparently so. We've already called for medics to take her," the captain told her.

'Man…we have a lot of explaining to do,' Zack thought.

* * *

_The next day, Shinra Headquarters, conference room, 9 a.m.…_

After going through traffic on a rainy day on his motorcycle, Cloud arrived in the conference room, soaking wet. As he walked to his seat, Zack saw him and said, "I told you to get a car, but no. 'Cloud-boy' knows everything."

"Shut up…" Cloud muttered.

"I told you too," someone else said.

"Not you too, Tifa…" Cloud said.

The woman, Category 3 Special called a Fuerte, Officer Tifa Lockhart, came in the room and wore the same uniform as Aqua. Unlike Cloud, Zack and Aqua, Tifa belonged to two teams, so she didn't work with them as often. After coming in, she sat down and said, "Well, Aqua hasn't woken up yet and the rainstorm's getting worse."

"Well, we need rain every now and then," Zack told her.

"Yes, but not like this," Angeal said, coming in with the director. Several other people followed him and Zack knew that it was the "trial of fire" committee, also known as the Mission Review Committee.

The three stood up and saluted him. After the salute, the committee, Angeal, Director Lazard and the three sat down. The questioning began and the "trial" started.

"At 2200 hours, Officer Fair and Officer Tiberi went with you into the Slums to find the target. What happened there?" one of the committee members asked.

Cloud explained what happened and the committee kept questioning him. "So, you didn't find the target in the slums, but yet you all stayed. Why?" another asked.

Zack answered and explained, "Because we thought we would find him if we stayed in the area."

"And you all didn't think to come back? Persistent," a third said.

"Well, they are some of the best officers in the Specials division," Angeal said.

"Yes, but even the best can make mistakes," a fourth member of the committee said.

"In your mission report, it says that you did find the target, but you didn't pursue. Why?" Director Lazard asked.

"Because Aqua was in danger and I thought her safety was top priority at the time," Cloud said.

"But why were you all separated?" the committee asked.

"Because we thought we would find him faster that way," Zack replied.

"So, neither of you saw Officer Tiberi's attacker?" Director Lazard asked.

"No," both Cloud and Zack said.

"Well, then that's not going to help…To redeem yourselves, you all will be sent over to Wutai to finish the fight. Lieutenant Hewley and Officer Lockhart will go with you," Director Lazard said.

"Just tell me when you're ready to go," Angeal said. With that, the "trial" was over.

* * *

_Shinra Headquarters, Specials' medical wing…_

After putting some flowers near Aqua's bed, Tifa said, "Just make sure you wake up soon."

Remembering the candy bar Zack had bought for her, she placed it under Aqua's pillow. "For when you wake up, okay?" Tifa said and left.

After she had left, the rain stopped, as if it was Aqua's way of thanking her.

* * *

_Well, here's the first chapter. Any reviews will be nice._


	3. Chapter Two

_Thank you anyone who reviewed and/or read the story so far. Like Red Bull, reviews give me wings! :D_

_I'll still finish my other stories, so don't worry fans of my other active stories._

_-miano53_

* * *

"_Some Specials are supposedly imbued with the power of summon spirits. We haven't been able to identify many as of yet, as the rebels keep stealing away Specials. Supposedly, there's one that works in the government's Specials division."_

_-a Shinra soldier_

Chapter Two: Fall of Wutai

_Shinra Headquarters, Midgar, medical wing, June 18th…_

Aqua woke up after nearly a week of comatose and saw the flowers that Tifa had left behind. "Oh…Thanks," she said.

She also felt something odd under her pillow. Aqua reached behind it and saw that it was a chocolate candy bar. "Oh. Zack must've told her I like these," she said.

The Special could sense that her friends were far, but okay. With a smile, she reassured herself about the condition of her friends. "Just come back in one piece, guys," Aqua muttered.

* * *

_Wutai, Near Fort Tamblin, 9:35 p.m.…_

Zack, Cloud, Tifa and Angeal waited near the outskirt of the Wutai fortress. Angeal began to recite the mission objective to the younger Specials. As he spoke, Zack had an excited look on his face.

"B unit will set off an explosion. That's our cue," Angeal said.

"The diversion will allow us to infiltrate," Zack added.

"Tifa will set the bombs off inside the fortress and…" Angeal said.

"And? And? And? And?" Zack asked.

"You and Cloud can…indulge yourselves," Angeal said.

"Got it! That's what we do best!" Zack said excitedly.

Cloud rolled his eyes and Angeal pulled out his sword. He then motioned it around as if doing a prayer and Zack was confused.

"You know, none of us ever seen you use that. Isn't that a waste?" Zack said.

"Use brings about wear, tear and rust…and that's a real waste," Angeal explained.

"You're just cheap," Cloud said.

"Yep. Just like the time he nearly cried over spilled milk," Tifa said.

"And made us pay for it," Zack said.

"You know, children in other parts of the world could've drunk that milk," Angeal said.

"They would drink dirty, spilled milk?" Tifa asked.

Before any of them could say anything else, an explosion was heard. "Begin mission," Angeal said.

The three officers rushed into the fortress and split up when they infiltrated.

* * *

_With Tifa…_

After knocking out several Wutai troops, Tifa started placing bombs at key stress points of the fortress. When she was done, she looked up in the sky and saw the clouds move away, revealing a full moon. The moon radiated with a pale white light, covering everything in its luminescence.

"Oh no," she muttered.

Remembering that it was a Waxing Gibbous (Full) Moon four days ago, Tifa knew that Cloud may not use discretion as his powers would take over. So, she called Angeal on her PHS.

"Angeal, um, did Cloud bring his medicine?" she asked.

"Yes, why? Is it because the moon's full?" Angeal asked.

"Yeah, what if…he loses control again?" Tifa asked.

"If that happens, you have my permission to use the sedative darts. We can't allow for this mission to go astray because Cloud can't control himself," Angeal said.

The phone hung up with a click and Tifa rushed off to find Cloud. She hoped that she would reach him before he lost control and before the bombs could go off.

* * *

_With Zack…_

Zack proceeded to take out as many Wutai troops as he possibly could. After doing so, he decided to take a breather. When he did, he heard someone say, "One, avoid necessary training. Two, protect Wutai at all costs. Three, ugly Shinra dudes must be punished! Yah!"

Zack looked up and saw a young teen of fifteen falling from the rooftops. She slammed her head into his head and the two collapsed to the ground.

"Ow…" the girl said.

"What do you mean 'ow'? You could've killed me!" Zack yelled.

"Well, you're one of those Special dudes from Shinra, so you would've been fine!" the girl yelled.

"Who are you, anyway?" Zack said, rubbing the top of his head.

"I'm Wutai's greatest warrior, Yuffie Kisaragi! If you want to go any further, you have to go through me," Yuffie said.

"But you're just a kid…" Zack said.

"Hi-ya!" Yuffie yelled. She then proceeded to "punch" him.

"Okay…" Zack said, confused.

He immediately felt something wrong as the air suddenly started to vibrate. Zack knew what it was and could tell that Cloud's powers weren't under control. The energy was stronger than before and Zack knew that Cloud would go berserk from his ability-induced hallucinations.

"Oh no…No!" Zack yelled, running away.

He left behind Yuffie, leaving the teen confused. "Hey! Come back here! Oh well, at least I saved Wutai!" she said.

With that, the young ninja left, running out of the fort.

* * *

_With Cloud…_

After making it into the courtyard, Angeal called him, "There should be an anti-Shinra weapon located in the fortress. Find it and destroy it. But use some discretion, Cloud."

Cloud agreed to and hung up. When he did, he felt his body weakening and a searing headache. Knowing he was at the threshold of losing control of himself, Cloud grabbed the medicine used to suppress his powers. Before he could take them, he was kicked in the stomach and thrown into a wall.

That caused him to drop the pills into a nearby fountain. "What was…?" Cloud asked.

He saw a group of soldiers all clad in silver armor. They surrounded him and aimed their spears at him.

"We are the Crescent, Wutai army's elite unit. We appease the wrath of Levianthan, our guardian deity, and smite all the enemies of Wutai. Our beloved homeland was brutally destroyed by Shinra," the captain said.

Cloud attempted to stand up, but his waning mental state made it hard to do so. Not noticing this, the Crescent Unit captain continued to speak.

"Tell me, do you feel satisfied working for an evil government such as Shinra?" the captain asked.

Before Cloud could say anything, he saw the fort's image changed to that of his former hometown, Nibelheim. The place was in flames, scaring Cloud.

'Not again…' Cloud thought.

The Crescent Unit's image changed to that of monsters and Cloud said, "No…"

"Then why don't you join us? We can't pay you much but…" the captain said.

"NO!" Cloud yelled.

His eyes immediately turned purple and started glowing. A purple-colored aura surrounded him and took the shape of a wolf.

The Wutai saw this and said, "Fenrir…So, he's in you."

Cloud, under the supposed Fenrir's influence, started attacking the Crescent Unit. He destroyed their weapons, parts of their armor and brutally injured them. When the remnants attempted to attack, Cloud began slashing at them with a violent fury. When they all had been defeated, the captain heard someone yell, "Cloud! Stop!"

Cloud, still under the control of his hallucinations, saw Tifa running over to him and he lunged at her, sword first. Before he could attack her, Zack blocked the attack with his sword.

"Cloud, you gotta control it. Don't let it control you," Zack told him.

"I-I can't…I won't let you…" Cloud said, grunting.

"Control it!" Tifa yelled.

The aura around Cloud grew brighter and he pushed the two back with a sword swipe. Seeing a place where they could hide from Cloud, Tifa pulled Zack towards this building in the middle of the fortress. Cloud chased after them and Tifa saw that the building held the anti-Shinra weapon.

It was a giant ogre and all Tifa could think was, 'Why did I go on this mission? Why?'

"We gotta destroy that thing," Zack said.

"But Cloud lost control and is trying to kill us! How do you expect us to fight two overpowered things at once?" Tifa yelled.

She saw that Zack had gotten an idea and said, "Oh…No…No, no, and no! What if Cloud doesn't snap out of…?"

Tifa then saw that Cloud had broken the doors down. To her surprise, he didn't pay attention to them, but at the "weapon". With hallucination fueled rage, he started hacking away at the ogre.

The ogre, angered that it had been cut repeatedly, swung its large mace at Cloud and hit him. Cloud hit a wall and started showing signs of weakening.

"Not good," Zack said, knowing that Cloud was only going to get worse.

The two saw that Cloud got up and kept attacking the "weapon" with a savage fury. After two minutes of being brutally beaten, the ogre collapsed. Cloud, however, kept attacking as he thought he saw the beast as a large Bomb monster attacking his home.

"Cloud! It's over! You can stop now! CLOUD!" Tifa yelled.

Cloud, under the influence of the hallucinations, went from attacking the bloody remains of the ogre to attacking the support pillars as he saw them as large fire columns. He swung his sword and an arc of energy was released. The energy disks hit the columns and the building started to give way.

"Cloud, stop!" Tifa yelled again.

"He's not listening to reason!" Zack yelled.

Tifa pulled out the tranquilizer gun given to her by Angeal just in case Cloud was lost control. That was one of those times. She shot him and Cloud turned around. He had a fury in his eyes like none other and the two cursed.

Seeing that it barely had an effect on him, Tifa said, "Shall we run for our lives?"

Zack nodded and the two rushed out of the collapsing building, with Cloud hot on their trail.

* * *

_Outside Fort Tamblin…_

Angeal saw that the bombs inside the fort went off. "Where are they?" Angeal said.

A Shinra chopper was headed for his direction. With worry, he thought, 'They should've left the fortress by now…'

"Angeal! Angeal!" Zack yelled.

Angeal saw that Tifa and Zack were being chased by…a hallucination-controlled Cloud. "Oh no…" Angeal muttered.

Both Tifa and Zack ran passed their commanding officer and kept running. Angeal followed suit and signaled for the chopper to back off.

'We have to get him under control or else we can't go home,' Angeal thought.

The three ran into the woods and saw that Cloud wasn't stopping. As they ran through the forests near Fort Tamblin, Tifa saw that clouds were rolling in. With a newfound hope, she prayed that Cloud would stop his rampage so they could return to Shinra. Sadly, the wind pushed the clouds in the other direction. So, she breathlessly voiced what happened inside the fort.

"Angeal, I thought you said that the darts would work!" Tifa yelled.

"You shot him?" Angeal yelled.

"Yes! You said to!" Tifa yelled back.

"You were supposed to do it when he was distracted and you far away!" Zack yelled.

"No one told me that!" Tifa yelled, lungs screaming for air.

They kept running and saw the tree line of the forest. The group suddenly stopped the tree line revealed a coastal cliff blocking their path.

"I forgot Fort Tamblin's near a coast," Zack said.

The three turned around to see that Cloud was still coming after them. "If we jump from this height, we're dead. If stay here, we're dead. If we try to fight, we're…" Tifa said.

"We're dead…I really didn't want to go out like this. But I'll die an honest man…Well, mostly honest," Angeal said, readying his fists.

Tifa did the same and Zack pulled out his sword. Just before they could attack, the moon was suddenly covered by dark clouds. That caused for the hallucinations to fade, giving Cloud some of his sanity back.

"T-Tifa…" he muttered.

As his sanity started to slowly come back, the aura around him started to dim. His powers were weakened with the lack of moonlight, allowing for Tifa to use a sedative.

"Sorry, Cloud…" Tifa said and shot him again with a sedative dart.

It hit his neck and he quickly pulled it out. "Sedative darts. I'm not…That's new stuff…" he said and passed out.

The aura around him disappeared and the chopper from before arrived. "Alright, let's go home," Angeal said.

The group helped Cloud onto the helicopter and went onboard. As they headed home, Zack thought, 'Man, that was way too close.'

* * *

_The next day, Shinra Headquarters, medical wing…_

Aqua saw that Tifa and Zack had entered and were overjoyed to see that she was awake. The two hugged her and Aqua asked about the mission.

"So, how did it go?" Aqua asked.

"It was a success, but…" Zack said.

"Cloud lost control," Tifa said.

"Oh…How? I thought that medicine suppressed it," Aqua said.

"We thought so too. The doctors checked his blood work and said that they couldn't find a trace of the medicine in his system," Angeal said, coming in.

He stood next by Aqua's bed and asked, "Feeling better?"

"Yes. They said that I can go back to work on tomorrow," Aqua said.

"That means you'll have to replace Cloud for the time being. He's under observation for the time being," Angeal said.

"So, rest up. We got another mission on tomorrow," Zack said.

"I should tell you that," Aqua said.

After a few more minutes of talking, the group left. "Well, at least they came home safely," Aqua said.

* * *

_Another chapter down. So, Fenrir's a part of Cloud and makes him hallucinate. How did that happen, you ask? Well, that'll be explained in later chapters. Review?_


	4. Chapter Three

"_Dr. Hollander was responsible for the medical treatment of the specials. Since his disappearance from the city of Junon two years ago, the medical department has been under the direction of Dr. Lucrecia Crescent. The medical department now monitors the Specials, provide medicine if needed and records the Specials' ability progress, thus being invaluable to Shinra."_

_-Shinra newsletter, vol. 128_

Chapter Three: Revolt

_July 18th, Shinra Headquarters, medical lab…_

Zack, sitting in a chair in one of the waiting rooms, waited for his blood work to come back. The reason why he had to do that was it was his turn for his monthly checkup. The medical department, not wanting to take any chances with any Specials, gave the order for all Specials to get a medical checkup. The medical checkup was to see if any abnormalities were occurring with any of them. It also checked if the Specials gained any new abilities or became stronger.

After waiting for nearly an hour, Zack saw Dr. Lucrecia Crescent enter. "Well, your blood work came back fine. We didn't find any abnormalities or any changes in your abilities," she said to him.

"I told ya so. Now, can I go?" Zack said.

"What's the rush?" Dr. Lucrecia asked.

Seeing a blush on his face, she said, "Oh. You were going out with someone, right?"

"Yes, 'Mom'," Zack said, calling Dr. Crescent by her nickname.

"Who is it? Aqua?" Dr. Lucrecia asked.

"No," Zack said.

"Tifa?" Dr. Lucrecia asked.

"No. She's with Cloud," Zack said.

"Oh, another girl. Where is she from?" Dr. Lucrecia asked.

"Um…the slums…" Zack muttered.

"The slums? Why would you…? Okay…It's your choice," Dr. Lucrecia asked.

Zack immediately received a call and was told to head to Director Lazard's office. "See ya, 'Mom'," he said and left.

* * *

_Director Lazard's office…_

Zack arrived in the office to see that Aqua, Cloud and Tifa were in attendance. "Where's Angeal?" he asked.

"That's why I called you into my office. It seems that Angeal has gone missing during his last assignment in Qing. He was assigned to find the missing lieutenant, Genesis Rhapsodos, who went to find the missing Dr. Hollander a month ago," Director Lazard said.

"So, you want us to find him?" Aqua asked.

"Yes, but not now. We're still gathering information right now. And…we can't afford to lose any more operatives," Director Lazard said.

The four looked saddened as they couldn't go and find their commanding officer. "Until we gather more intelligence on where in Qing Angeal is, you all can take an administrative leave," Director Lazard said.

"Huh? We get a break?" Zack asked, surprised as the group hasn't had a vacation in over three months.

"Yes. This is a reward for your outstanding performances these past three months," Director Lazard told them.

The group was silent and Director Lazard said, "Understandable. Too much happened to fast. Your commanding officer is gone."

"So, why can't get go find him ourselves? We can go to Qing and find info on Angeal," Zack asked.

"The government believes that your emotions will hamper your judgment," someone said.

"Ah, Sephiroth, you're here," Director Lazard said.

The group looked shocked as they saw Lieutenant Sephiroth Hojo came in. Zack, a big fan of Sephiroth as he was declared a hero for saving the city of Midgar ten years ago, had a very excited look on his face.

"Others will go in your place and…" Director Lazard said.

"And what?" Tifa asked.

"He will take over as your commanding officer until we find Angeal," Director Lazard said.

Tifa stepped on Zack's foot as he nearly started screaming like a typical fan. "Hmmmm!" Zack grunted as his foot was nearly broken.

Within seconds, Zack held his foot and started whimpering. "Ugh…Ah…" he said, rocking back and forth on the floor, holding his foot.

"Now, if we can avoid any more injuries, as I said Sephiroth will be your commanding officer until Angeal is found," Director Lazard said.

The group was silent, minus Zack who still held his foot and whimpered. "So, if Angeal can't be found…?" Aqua asked.

Director Lazard was about to answer when an alarm blared. The bookshelves were suddenly sealed shut and the computers shut down.

"An intruder. Sephiroth, the president. The rest of you, the entrance," Director Lazard ordered.

The group split up and headed for the building entrance.

* * *

_Shinra government building, entrance…_

The four saw that Shinra soldiers were fighting…Shinra weapons. "What the…? Why are Shinra weapons attacking the building?" Zack asked.

"I don't know, but we gotta stop them," Cloud said.

Cloud and Zack rushed to the entrance and started hacking and slashing at the robotic weapons. Tifa began beating the intruders coming in the building while Aqua kept freezing enemies. After several minutes of fighting, the waves of enemies ended and they saw that the human enemies looked like the lost Special, Genesis.

"What the…? Genesis?" Zack said.

Tifa and Aqua checked the others and saw that the people they fought looked exactly like Genesis. "What is going on?" Aqua asked.

Sephiroth had came after moving the president to a safe location. He looked at the Genesis clones and said, confirming the group's suspicions, "Genesis copies."

"Huh?" Zack said, confused.

"I'll explain later. Enemies have been sighted in Sector 8 as well," Sephiroth said.

The group left and headed for Sector 8.

* * *

_Midgar, Sector 8 (aka District 3)..._  
The entire area was being attacked by Shinra weapons and Genesis clones. After assessing the situation, Sephiroth ordered, "Split up."

"Yes sir," the group said and split up.

With Zack, he rushed over to the Loveless Avenue and saw that Tifa was having trouble with...Genesis. "Huh? Genesis?" Zack said.

"He's not him! He's a clone!" Tifa yelled, dodging a hail of bullets.

"Not what?" Zack yelled back, not hearing the last part.

He then moved behind some trash cans as he was now a target. The Genesis clone kept shooting and Zack readied himself to fight. After the clone was finished shooting and started to reload, Zack came from his hiding place and started fighting.

The copy saw Zack with his sword at the ready. It was too late to do anything as Zack was too fast and the copy's reload time was too slow. Within seconds, the copy was slashed in abdomen and seemingly killed.

It attempted to escape by growing black angel wings and flying off when Zack slashed the copy in two, assuring its death. When the clone died, Tifa walked over to Zack and said, "Huh? Wings..."

"Like an angel," Zack added.

Before anything else could be said, the sound of thunder was heard. The two looked up and saw a storm coming. Lightning was seen everywhere and it started raining as if it was monsoon season on Kilika Island. After the rains came, the winds suddenly picked up.

"Something's wrong. Aqua doesn't use her powers like this unless..." Zack said.

"She's in trouble. Let's go," Tifa said.

* * *

_With Cloud..._

After decimating several Shinra weapons and taking out many Genesis copies, Cloud heard the sound of thunder. Looking around, he saw a storm coming rather fast. "Aqua doesn't do something like this unless she's..." Cloud said.

He immediately felt that she was in danger and ran to her location. When he arrived at one of the rooftops in Sector 8, he saw that Aqua had destroyed the Shinra weapons and Genesis copies, but something was wrong.

Cloud called out to Aqua, but when he did, Aqua responded by shooting lightning at him. "What the...? Aqua, it's me!" Cloud yelled.

While dodging more lightning bolts, Cloud could see that Aqua was terrified. "Aqua, what's wrong?" he yelled.

"You're not the real Cloud!" Aqua yelled.

"What?" Cloud yelled confused.

"Get away, monster!" Aqua yelled. When she did, a hailstorm was added to the rain, lightning and high winds.

Wanting not to get hit by a golf ball-sized hailstone, Cloud hid under a tin roof. 'What is wrong with her? She never did this before,' Cloud thought.

Before he could ponder it, Cloud received a call on his PHS. He answered and heard a very concerned Sephiroth.

"What is going on? Why is the weather...?" he asked.

"Crazy? 'Cause of Aqua. Sir, she's lost control," Cloud told him.

"Get her to calm down, by any means necessary," Sephiroth ordered.

The phone hung up with a click and Cloud thought, 'I can't hurt her. She's...a friend of mine.'

"Cloud!" Tifa yelled.

Cloud saw that Zack and Tifa had managed to make it without injury and told them what Sephiroth had ordered. "We can't fight her," Zack said.

"But if we don't, she'll destroy Midgar," Tifa said.

"So, you'd rather send her to the hospital?" Zack asked.

Before Tifa could answer, a large hailstone hit the tin roof, making a large dent. "No. But, I don't want her to hurt herself either," Tifa said.

She then grabbed a nearby box and threw it at Aqua. To protect herself, Aqua summoned a large gale, breaking the box into pieces. The box served as a distraction and stopped the hailstorm.

When the hailstorm stopped, Zack yelled, "Go!"

The three charged at her and started throwing punches and sword swipes. Aqua, due to a latent ability she had known as "haste", dodged all the attacks quickly and followed up with lightning attacks. Cloud was hit by one and was sent flying back near the edge of the roof. Zack grabbed Tifa and dodged the attack.

"Leave me alone," Aqua said, screaming.

"Aqua, what's wrong? We can help," Tifa yelled.

"No! Stay back! You're with the monster!" Aqua yelled.

She then summoned a gale and pushed Zack and Tifa back. They flew, heading straight off the roof. Cloud, who was nearby, rushed towards them and grabbed them before they could fall to their deaths.

"Hold on," he said.

Tifa immediately saw that Aqua started...flying towards them. She had lightning charged in her hands and Tifa screamed, "Cloud!"

Aqua shot him in the back with a bolt of lightning, causing him to fall off the roof. The three started falling from the 20 story building and Zack and Tifa thought it was the end. What they didn't know was that the bolt of lightning rendered Cloud unconscious and awakened a latent ability of his. The luna aura of Fenrir enveloped the group and they disappeared.

The next thing they knew, they were back at the rooftop where Aqua was. Aqua, seemingly under someone's control, kept shooting lightning at the building and making the weather effects much worse.

"Aqua!" Zack yelled.

Aqua turned around and summoned a large gale to knock the group over the roof again. Just before the gale hit, a shield of lunar energy surrounded them and Tifa saw that Cloud's eyes were now glowing with the same energy.

'Cloud...' she thought.

Cloud, seemingly controlled by Fenrir, charged energy into his sword and Aqua unleashed lightning on him. That cause for the energy in his sword to disperse. "Aqua, stop!" Zack yelled.

She didn't listen and was shocked when Cloud started getting up. To destroy the "monster" that she saw, Aqua unleashed all the power of the elements on him. After being hit repeatedly by hailstones, lightning and gale force winds, a shield of lunar energy surrounded Cloud. He got up and started charging energy into his blade again.

In a voice that didn't sound like his as his accent dropped, Cloud said, "Storm Rider, you have to stop this."

"Go away!" Aqua said, nearly crying in fear.

She then summoned a large, baseball sized hailstone. The stone hurled towards Cloud and he cut it in two with an energy beam from his sword. After cutting the hailstone in two, Cloud stood there, as if waiting for Aqua to respond.

He then dropped the sword and said, "I won't harm you."

Tifa and Zack looked at the whole situation and heard Cloud speaking to Aqua. "What in the world is going on?" Zack asked.

"Cloud lost control again," Tifa said.

"I know that. But what's with Aqua?" Zack said.

Tifa shrugged and saw that Aqua had started to calm down. The hailstorm stopped and the gusts died down. "It is alright. Come down," Cloud said.

Zack, now really sure that Cloud lost it as his accent was gone, saw that Aqua had started to float down from her position in the skies. When she was close enough, Cloud shot her in the head with a ball of energy. That knocked Aqua out and she fell. Before she could hit the rooftop, Cloud caught her. When he did, the abnormal weather dissipated and the night skies were clear, revealing the full moon.

Now very suspicious, Zack and Tifa ran over to them and readied themselves for a fight. "Cloud, what the heck did you do?" Zack yelled, cursing.

Cloud paid them no attention and said nothing. Tifa, remembering that Cloud wasn't himself, said, "Cloud...or should I say, Fenrir...what did you do?"

Cloud, still under Fenrir's control, looked at her and said, "Nothing."

Zack grabbed him and yelled, "Then why is she unconscious? Tell me why!"

"She was under someone's control. You saw it yourself. All I did was free her from it," Cloud said.

Zack released his grip and immediately heard the footsteps of soldiers rushing to them. The three saw Shinra troops and Sephiroth arrive at the rooftop. Sephiroth saw the unconscious Aqua and ordered for the Shinra troops to take Aqua and the others back to the Shinra building.

They did and escorted the group back to the building. Once they were gone, Sephiroth started looking around. "According to her files, there is no way for Officer Tiberi to lose control of her powers..." he said, investigating the area.

The Category 5 Special sensed someone and said, "So you're the reason why she lost control..."

Sephiroth turned around and saw a man in a black cloak. "The Organization..." he said.

"That was very perceptive of you, Lieutenant Hojo," the man said.

Sephiroth pulled out his katana and the man summoned his ethereal blades. "Well, this should be entertaining," Sephiroth said.

* * *

_So, I wonder if anyone will get who was it that forced Aqua to lose control. And for those who want to see the back story on the characters, I'll get it up soon._

_-miano53_


	5. Chapter Four

_"__Costa del Sol is usually used as a resort area for government workers. Since the area depends on tourism, the Shinra government pays for the wages of the people who live there."_

_-Shinra newsletter, vol. 21_

Chapter Four: Vacation

_The next day, July 19th, Shinra building, Director Lazard's office…_

After defeating the cloaked man and getting a little beat up, Sephiroth arrived that morning to Director Lazard's office. Due to the events of the previous day, he was to give a full report on what happened.

He explained and said, "It seems that the cause of the storms was from someone controlling Officer Tiberi with a hallucinogen."

"Hmm, that's odd. Her file says that even the most powerful of telepaths cannot penetrate her mind. So, a simple hallucinogen shouldn't have done that," Director Lazard said.

"I thought the same. As I looked around the site, I was ambushed by a member of the Organization. After defeating him, I found this," Sephiroth said.

He placed a small machine on the director's desk and Director Lazard said, "Send that to the Science Department. We have to figure out what it is so there won't be a repeat of yesterday."

"Understood," Sephiroth said and left with the device.

Once he was gone, Director Lazard said to himself, "I wonder…is he really trying to start a war between normal humans and Specials?"

* * *

_10 a.m., Costa del Sol, hotel room…_

Due to their administrative leave, a.k.a. vacation, Cloud, Tifa, Zack and Aqua had arrived in Costal del Sol. The town was a top Shinra vacation spot and was used mainly to give government operatives a break.

When the group arrived, Zack and Cloud saw that they're rooms were separated from the girls. "I wonder why they did that," Zack asked.

"You know why," Cloud said.

"We weren't going to do _that_," Zack said.

They separated from Tifa and Aqua and headed into their room. Once inside, the two unpacked and Cloud plopped onto his bed. Zack saw and said, "I thought you wouldn't be exhausted."

"Why?" Cloud asked.

"Because of what happened yesterday," Zack said.

"What happened?" Cloud asked.

Zack stared at him with bewilderment and said, "You really were under its control…"

"What happened?" Cloud asked, this time, sitting up.

"Well, you…got shot by lightning from Aqua and…you lost control," Zack explained.

Cloud was silent and Zack asked, "You really don't remember?"

"Not really. Everything's a haze," Cloud replied.

Zack, curious, asked, "Even when you started talking?"

"I…talked…?" Cloud asked.

"Yeah, you told us that you helped Aqua. And you shot her in the head with Fenrir's lunar energy. You said that was the only way to release Aqua from being controlled. And your accent dropped, did you know that?" Zack explained.

'I…What is going on? I took the medicine. So, how could it control me like that?' Cloud thought.

Seeing that Cloud was deep in thought, Zack got up from his bed and said, "Well, I'll go find something to eat. Just don't turn emo on me, okay?"

That brought Cloud temporarily out of his thought and he said, "I'm not emo."

Zack laughed and left. When he did, Cloud went back to his thoughts.

'Why did it do that? Why is it so helpful now? Whenever I lose it, Tifa says that I go berserk. That's why I have to take the medicine,' Cloud thought.

He then, due to jet lag, started feeling sleepy. 'It's been like this ever since I could remember…' he thought and fell asleep.

* * *

_Fifteen years ago, the mountain village of Nibelheim…_

_Cloud, age five, walked around town and saw a five-year-old Tifa hanging out with her friends. Since Cloud was very shy, he kept his distance and watched Tifa from afar. _

_"__Cloud, why are you here by yourself," someone asked._

_Mrs. Strife had found him and saw that he was looking at Tifa. "Why don't you talk to her? She does live right next to us," she said._

_Cloud said nothing and his mother said, "C'mon. Let's go."_

_She led Cloud to the outskirt of the town and to the statue of the region's guardian deity, Fenrir. "What's that?" Cloud asked, pointing at the statue._

_"__This is Fenrir. He's our town's guardian spirit," his mother told him._

_"__He's just a statue," Cloud said._

_"__He's not just a statue. He protects this place and keeps the monsters out," she said to him._

_Cloud looked at it and could've sworn he heard someone say, "This one…I'm here? Why…this place?"_

_Noticing that Cloud was staring at the statue in a hypnotic stare, his mother shook him and said, "Cloud? Snap out of it."_

_"__Huh?" Cloud said, coming out of his trance._

_"__You spaced out there for a sec. Are you okay?" Mrs. Strife asked._

_Cloud nodded and his mother quickly gave an offering to the statue. After giving an offering to the idol and praying to it, the two left. _

_Later that night, Cloud was quickly awakened by his mother. "Cloud, get up!" she said in a panic._

_Cloud woke up and saw bright orange-red lights coming from outside. "We have to go, okay," Mrs. Strife said, quickly helping Cloud put on his shoes._

_The sound of the front door breaking down was heard and Cloud's mother quickly barricaded the door. She smashed a nearby window and handed Cloud a bag of money. _

_In a panic, she said, "Leave town. I'll follow."_

_"__You're lyin'," Cloud said._

_"__Just go!" Mrs. Strife yelled and pushed him out of the window._

_The boy landed on the ground with a thud and started running off. Just before he was out of view, he saw his mother trying to stave off unknown soldiers. Within moments of attempting to keep them away from her son, Mrs. Strife was killed._

_Cloud wanted to yell, but he couldn't as he knew the soldiers were going to come after him. So, he ran._

_As he ran, he felt extreme guilt for not being strong enough to protect his mother. He kept running, passing by many of the burning buildings. Just before he could reach the outskirts, Tifa saw him and yelled, "Cloud! What's going on?"_

_"__I dunno, but we gotta go," Cloud said._

_Before they could run, the attacking soldiers surrounded them. "Freeze, Specials!" one of them said._

_Tifa buried her face in Cloud's shoulder and didn't see the lunar aura that was coming from Cloud. Within moments of the aura appearing, Cloud's eyes turned purple and a wave of energy came in, pushing back the soldiers. _

_Tifa saw this and noticed that Cloud looked like he was in a daze. "Let's go!" she said, pulling him._

_Just before they could leave, the two were shot in the back of the neck with tranquilizer darts. That knocked the two out and they were arrested._

_Before Cloud could pass out, he saw the image of a wolf glowing with the lunar aura. It walked over to him and Cloud blacked out._

* * *

Cloud immediately woke up and looked around. He saw that it was in the middle of the night. Zack was asleep, snoring away on his bed.

'What was that about?' he thought.

No longer tired, Cloud got up and saw that the moon was heading into the waning state. 'When Nibelheim was destroyed, the moon was full…And...' he thought.

He then remembered what he heard coming from the statue. 'Was it trying to protect me?' Cloud thought.

* * *

_The next day, Aqua's hotel room..._

Zack, Cloud and Tifa headed out to the beach as they wanted to enjoy the sun. Aqua, however, wanted to stay inside as she wanted to look into something. She went on the computer in her room and began looking up the files of Sephiroth, Angeal and Genesis.

According to what she found, Sephiroth was a Category 5 Special called an Angelus. His abilities were numerous and included regeneration, super strength, speed, hearing, night vision, flight and dark and light manipulation. He was born to Dr. Amano Hojo and Dr. Lucrecia Crescent (formerly Crescent-Hojo) 26 years ago. Unlike the other Specials, he was a part of an experimental program that was the precursor to the Specials division of the government. Needless to say, he didn't really go outdoors in his childhood.

Angeal Hewley was a Category 4 Angelus. His abilities included flight, super strength, speed, hearing, night vision, regeneration and a bit of energy manipulation. He was born to Dr. Hollander and Gillian Hewley 27 years ago. He was also a part of the experimental program with Sephiroth.

Genesis Rhapsodos was also a Category 4 Angelus. His abilities included flight, super strength, speed, hearing, night vision, fire manipulation and energy manipulation. He was born to unknown parents 25 years ago and was adopted by wealthy landowners in Banora. He was also a part of the experimental program with Sephiroth.

After reading those files, Aqua thought, 'No wonder why Sephiroth became our C.O. Angeal must've told him to do so.'

She then started to remember what happened when she first met them. The memories came with a bit of sadness as well as a small happiness.

* * *

_Fifteen years ago, Midgar, Shinra Building…_

_After arriving in Midgar and taken to the Shinra Building's infirmary, Aqua looked around the all-white room and saw only strange doctors checking the vitals of small children. Just like her, the children looked terrified. When Aqua's doctor came near her, she tried pulling away._

"_Calm down. I won't hurt you," the woman said._

_Aqua looked at her and the woman said, "My name is Lucrecia Crescent-Hojo. What is yours?"_

_The little four-year-old sniffed, scared of the woman. "A-Aqua…Tiberi…" Aqua sniffed._

"_Oh. And you're from Modeoheim?" Dr. Crescent-Hojo asked._

"_Uh huh…" Aqua said._

"_I'm sorry for what happened to you, but it was a government order," Dr. Crescent-Hojo told her, putting a needle in the girl's arm._

"_But…OW!" the girl screamed._

"_It was just the medicine. You have to be vaccinated before we can let you around the other children," Dr. Crescent-Hojo explained._

_The girl started crying and the woman could hear the sound of rain pouring outside. One of the other children ran in and yelled, "Mother, why is it raining?"_

"_Sephiroth, you can't be in here," Dr. Crescent-Hojo told him._

"_Why not?" an eleven-year-old Sephiroth asked._

"_Government orders," Dr. Crescent-Hojo stated._

_Sephiroth sighed and left. The woman looked at Aqua, who stopped crying long enough to see what was going on. "That was my son. He's what they call an Angelus," Dr. Crescent-Hojo told her._

"_What's that?" Aqua asked, wiping her tears._

"_You'll see soon enough," Dr. Crescent-Hojo told her._

"_Oh…What are you, Dr. Crescent-Hojo?" Aqua said._

"'_Dr. Lucrecia' is just fine. I'm…normal," Dr. Lucrecia said, glancing around in nervousness._

_After getting many shots, Aqua was released and taken to her new room. It was simple in design and held no warmth like her old room from Modeoheim. A small TV was located on a white desk in the room and a bed covered in white sheets was located near a tiny window. In the room was an armoire that held a few clothes in white and silver. Tired, Aqua tried to go to sleep. Sadly, she cried herself to sleep that night._

_The next morning, she woke up to find someone had opened her door. A six-year-old, black haired boy holding an odd book in his hands closed the door and bolted under Aqua's bed. "Hide me," he said._

_The sound of something sniffing was heard behind Aqua's door and it opened up rather violently. An angry, brown haired ten-year-old stood in the doorway and he yelled, "Zack!"_

_He noticed Aqua and he walked over to her bed. "Where did that thief go?" he yelled._

"_Um…" Aqua said._

"_Spill it!" the boy yelled, shaking Aqua._

"_Genesis!" someone yelled._

_The two looked over at the doorway to find a twelve-year-old black haired, preteen standing in the doorway. He had his arms folded and a stern look on his face. Genesis then told him, "Angeal, Zack stole my stuff! He's in here and she won't tell me!"_

"_Well, she doesn't know you and she's only four," Angeal told him._

"_But…! She's hiding something! I just know it!" Genesis said, still holding onto Aqua._

"_If it's about your copy of LOVELESS, you can forget it. I'm not helping you again," Angeal told him._

"_Why not?" Genesis asked, still holding onto Aqua's shoulders._

"_Last time, you nearly destroyed the second floor trying to find it. President Shinra had to send troops to stop your rampage. We then found it in the mess hall," Angeal explained._

"_But it's different this time. I can smell the scent of the book in this room!" Genesis yelled, shaking Aqua._

"_WAAAHH!" Aqua screamed as she was violently shaken._

"_And the time before that, you tried to beat open a locker with your shoes as you swore that someone had stolen your book. Then come to find out you left the book in the library," Angeal said._

"_I swear! This time is different!" Genesis yelled._

"_HEEYY!" Aqua yelled, trying to get the older boy's attention._

_Genesis stopped shaking her and saw that Aqua's eyes had turned ice blue. A bolt of lightning came from her, pushing the boy into the hallway. "WAAH!" he screamed._

_When Angeal tried to come near her, Aqua yelled, "Leave me alone!"_

"_Calm down. Genesis was just looking for his book," Angeal told her._

_Aqua uncontrollably shot Angeal with lightning and pushed him into a wall. When he hit the wall, Aqua was shocked to see Angeal with white wings. The boy got up and noticed it._

"_Not again…" he groaned._

_Aqua immediately calmed down and a sudden urge to grab said wings overcame her. So, she got out of her bed, ran to Angeal and tried to pluck a feather. Before she could, the wings disappeared._

"_Aw…" Aqua muttered._

"_How old are you?" Angeal asked her._

"_Four…" Aqua replied._

"_Why so early?" Angeal said to himself._

"_Huh?" Aqua asked._

"_Nothing. Just know that you can call me if you need any help, alright?" Angeal said._

_He then left, closing the door behind him. The boy from earlier poked his head out from under the bed and said, "They're gone?"_

"_Yup. But…What did you do to make him so mad? What's that book for? Why did you take it?" Aqua asked._

"_Wow, so many questions. Well, I did it to prank Genesis. It's fun. But, just make sure that you run when you prank him. He can fly with wings, y'know," Zack told her._

_Aqua said nothing and Zack officially introduced himself. "I'm Zack Fair. And you're?"_

"_Aqua. Aqua Tiberi," Aqua said._

_The two immediately became friends and were about to give Genesis back the book when someone screamed, "AAAAAH! No, god!"_

_The two left the room to see that Sephiroth was in the hall and looking distraught. Genesis had apparently destroyed his room in the campaign to find his book. "No, god! Please no! No! NOOOOOOO!"_

_Needless to say, he went after Genesis in bloody vengeance._

* * *

"Aqua!" Tifa said, coming in.

"Huh?" Aqua said, shutting down the computer.

"Why are you looking at Shinra files? We're on vacation," Tifa, wearing a sundress, said.

"I just wanted to know a bit more about..." Aqua said.

"C'mon! Outside," Tifa said.

Aqua was about to say something when Cloud poked his head into the room. He wore only swimming trunks and said, "She's not coming?"

"I didn't say anything," Aqua said.

"She was looking up Shinra files," Tifa said.

"Why?" Cloud asked.

Aqua tried to say something again when Zack, also wearing swimming trunks, poked his head in. "Hey, they're about to leave us," he said.

"Go on ahead," Aqua said.

"Nope. You're coming with us. We can't have you sad or anything," Tifa said, pulling the young woman away from her desk.

* * *

_Outside, 5 miles from shore..._

Cloud and Zack, wanting to start a competition with Tifa and Aqua, sat in the water and was ready for the instructors to start the boat. They had bet about 1,000 munny that they would wipe out less than the ladies. Tifa agreed and Aqua was quite unsure. After putting on the safety gear, water skiing equipment and finding their instructors, the competition began

Aqua, in the water and holding the rope, said, "Why am I doing this? Why?"

Tifa, on the boat with their instructor, said, "Well, they did want a competition. And I have about 1,000 munny riding on this."

"Okay, let's go!" Zack yelled, who was in the water and holding the rope.

Zack and Cloud's boat started and Zack wasn't making much progress. His head was underwater and his skis had floated off into Open Ocean. Since he didn't listen to instructions, he was being dragged by the boat. Cloud saw this and yelled for the boat to stop.

The instructor did and Zack's head popped up from the water. "Next time, stand up," the instructor said.

"Oh was that the idea? I thought I was supposed to be DRAGGED through the water, with my mouth open!" Zack yelled, angry that Cloud started laughing at him.

To the young men's surprise, Aqua had a much better time. She started performing twirls and flips in the air. "Showoff..." Zack muttered.

After about twenty minutes, Zack gave up and Cloud started his attempt at water skiing. It was much better than Zack's. Needless to say, Zack was jealous. That is until Cloud managed to wipe out after hitting what looked like a rock.

He was sent sailing through the air, screaming the whole time. "AAH!" Cloud screamed, hitting the water.

Tifa and Aqua's boat stopped and their instructor said, "Odd. There are no rock formations around here."

Cloud poked his head out of the water and started looking around. "Oh no..." he said.

"Monsters!" Zack yelled.

Aqua started summoning a thunderstorm and Cloud quickly started swimming to the boat. "Get in! Get in!" Zack said.

Cloud managed to get in the boat when Aqua started shooting lightning at the aquatic monsters. The lightning hit and the monsters were killed.

Now scared, the instructors headed back to shore.

* * *

_The next day, back at the Shinra Headquarters..__._

After finding out that his new protégés had come back to Midgar early, Sephiroth wondered why they come back. Tifa explained and he understood. "You're still on administrative leave," Sephiroth said.

"Oh. Any word on Angeal?" Zack asked.

"No. We'll contact you all when we do," Sephiroth said.

The group then left, heading for home.


	6. Chapter Five

"_There's a rumor going around that the rebels are funded by some wealthy donors. Whoever it is, they must be really secretive."_

_-a barkeep in Kalm_

Chapter Five: Hunter or Hunted?

_July 26th, an alleyway in Junon…_

A man wearing a red, tattered cape and all black underneath it stood on the top of a building. His long black hair covered parts of his face and a red band covered his forehead. He looked around the city streets with his red eyes as if he was looking for someone.

"So, you can't find her?" someone asked.

The man didn't look and said, "Why are you here, Terra?"

Terra, the man that Aqua was looking for a month ago, step out of a column of darkness and the column disappeared. He looked at him with abnormally colored yellow eyes and said, "Well, she told me to keep an eye on you, especially after what happened yesterday."

The man said nothing and Terra said, "Hey, I'm just following orders."

"Tell her I don't need a babysitter," the man said.

"Yeah, you are about 60 years old, Vincent," Terra said.

"57," the man, Vincent said.

"Sure don't look like it," someone else said.

Two blonde haired boys flew down from the skies and landed near Terra. Terra slapped himself in the face and said, "Ven, Roxas…you're supposed to be on the lookout. Why are you here?"

"That's the thing. We found her. She's in the old village," Ven said.

"And why did you come here?" Terra asked.

Before Roxas or Ventus could say anything, Vincent had already left. "Well, we didn't think to do that…" Roxas said.

Terra rolled his eyes and teleported the group using a dark corridor.

* * *

_Junon, Old Village…_

Terra, Roxas and Ventus arrived at the older village of Junon and saw that several Shinra troops were lying on the ground, unconscious. The three looked around and saw that Vincent was nowhere to be found.

"He must've gone on ahead," Roxas said.

"Yeah, but I don't think he did this. He usually just shoot first and ask questions later," Ven said.

"Search the town. I wouldn't be surprise if Vincent found her by now," Terra told them.

"'Kay," Roxas said and the twins started flying off.

Terra went further in the village and saw that many of the Shinra troops were unconscious. 'Huh. I don't think that Vincent lost control…If he did, they would've been torn to shreds…' he thought.

With his enhanced hearing, he heard the sound of shuddering and followed the direction of the sound. He arrived in an empty home and saw that Vincent had found who they were looking for.

"You could've said something," Terra told him.

The girl that they were searching for had blonde hair, blue eyes and pale skin. Her small frame was covered by a white dress and she was holding tightly onto a book. Seeing that she was terrified, Terra said, "It's okay. We're here to help."

The girl looked at Terra and then back at Vincent. "You're fine. We'll take you someplace better than here. Someplace where you'll be safe," Terra told her.

"That guy…there's a powerful entity in you…" the girl said.

'I knew others could sense it,' Terra thought.

"Terra! They're coming," Ven said, coming in the home. Roxas had followed and the girl looked at the twins.

"Okay, let's go. What's your name?" Terra asked the girl.

"Naminé," the girl said.

Vincent was the first to enter the dark corridor created by Terra. Following behind him was Roxas and Ven. Naminé was about to enter when she looked at Terra in fear.

"You'll be fine. Don't worry," Terra said.

Naminé started to trust him and entered the corridor. Terra was the last to enter and the corridor closed. When that happened, Shinra troops entered and looked around.

"She's not here…" one of them said.

"Search the area. I doubt she gotten far," the captain said.

* * *

_July 27th, Shinra government headquarters, conference room…_

After a week of having nothing to do, Director Lazard called in Tifa, Cloud, Zack and Aqua. The group noticed that Sephiroth was in the conference room and was reading a report. Director Lazard was also in the room and told the four to sit.

"So, did you find any news on Angeal?" Zack asked.

"Yes. But before that, we have a new assignment," Director Lazard said.

Sephiroth gave Cloud and Aqua some files and Aqua opened it up. It had the files of a former Turk, the name for normal special agents, named Vincent Valentine. His picture was in the files and Aqua asked, "Um…Why are we hunting a Turk?"

"A former Turk. Vincent Valentine, age 57. Abilities…" Director Lazard said.

"Wait, he's a Special?" Zack asked, looking into the files after Aqua passed it to him.

"And he's 57? He doesn't look like it," Tifa said.

"That picture of him was when he was in the Turks 31 years ago. He disappeared at the age of 26 after it was discovered that he was a Special called a Sharpshooter," Sephiroth said.

"Oh. So, you want Cloud and me to find him?" Aqua said.

"Yes. He was last seen near Junon," Director Lazard said.

"And what 'bout his abilities? It doesn't say much," Cloud asked.

"That's why we need you to find him. He has secrets that the government doesn't wish to share," Director Lazard said.

"And what about us?" Zack asked.

"You and Tifa will go with Sephiroth to Qing to find Angeal," Director Lazard said.

"Yes!" Zack yelled.

"Just tell me when you're ready to go," Sephiroth told them.

Zack and Tifa left to prepare to head to Qing and Sephiroth headed outside. Aqua and Cloud looked at Director Lazard and started asking him questions.

"So, if he was missing for 31 years, why would he come back to Shinra now?" Cloud asked.

"We don't know. We suspect it has to do with Dr. Crescent," Director Lazard said.

"Why?" Aqua asked.

"They were very close…until Dr. Crescent married Dr. Hojo and gave birth to Sephiroth. When he heard that the government was about to start the precursor to the Specials division we have now. After openly expressing his concern about the wellbeing of Specials introduced to the program, Valentine suddenly disappeared," Director Lazard explained.

"Did anyone ask Dr. Crescent as to why he would've left Shinra?" Aqua asked.

"Dr. Crescent believed that it was over the fact that he was discovered to be a Special. Dr. Hojo thought it was over the fact he married Dr. Crescent. Some of the retired Turks thought it could've been that he didn't want to be known as a 'freak'," Director Lazard said.

'That seems like a pretty shallow reason to leave,' Aqua thought.

"Do you mind if we interview Dr. Crescent again before we go?" Aqua asked.

"Yes. Just make sure that you tread lightly on that subject," Director Lazard said.

Aqua and Cloud left and went to the medical labs to talk with the 52 year old Dr. Crescent. She was there and looked at them worried. "Do you need anything? Do you need more medicine, Cloud?" Dr. Crescent asked.

"No. We were just gonna to ask you 'bout something," Cloud said.

"What?" Dr. Crescent asked.

"Do…you remember a man named…Vincent Valentine?" Aqua asked.

"W-why? Who told you about him?" Dr. Crescent asked, now upset.

"Um…We're looking for him," Cloud said.

"Why…?" Dr. Crescent asked.

"He was spotted recently," Aqua said.

"How can that be…? He should've have survived that…I don't think he's…" Dr. Crescent mumbled, messing with her slightly graying hair.

"Where do you think he'll go?" Cloud asked.

"I-I don't know…" Dr. Crescent said, lying.

Knowing that she was lying, Aqua said, "Thank you."

She then pulled Cloud out of the room. "What? We almost had some info," Cloud said.

"She's hiding something. We'll head to her house and see if the guy comes," Aqua said.

Cloud agreed and the two started preparing for their stakeout.

* * *

_Hours later, 10 p.m., Dr. Lucrecia Crescent's home…_

Cloud and Aqua waited outside, in a tree, and waited to see if their target would show. Cloud, now regretting it as he was in a tree and uncomfortable, asked "Why didn't we just go to Junon? He was last seen there."

"Because if 'Mom' and that Valentine guy were close, I wouldn't be surprise if he showed up here," Aqua said.

"That would be stup…Wait," Cloud said, seeing something.

He saw that a gargoyle-like figure with a red aura landed on top of Dr. Crescent's home and spread its wings. It then shuddered and turned into a human. "What the…?" he said.

"What can you see?" Aqua asked.

"This…thing just landed on the house and…I don't know what just happened," Cloud said, very confused.

The man then slipped into one of the windows and Cloud said, "Oh no."

"What?" Aqua asked.

"She's in trouble. C'mon," Cloud said.

Sadly, when the two tried to leave the tree, the branches broke and the two fell.

* * *

_Inside Dr. Lucrecia Crescent's home…_

Dr. Crescent woke up to the sound of something landing on the roof. "What was that?" she said.

Thinking something was wrong, she pulled out a Taser gun and got out of bed. She opened her bedroom door slowly and peeked out. Lucrecia saw nothing.

"I-I have a Taser," she said. She readied her stun gun and began looking around.

The doctor saw that one of the windows was opened. "I thought I closed this…" she said and closed it.

Once she did, she heard a familiar voice. "Lucrecia…" someone said.

The doctor turned around and saw two red eyes in the darkness. "Don't hurt me!" she screamed and shot at the figure.

Lucrecia missed and the sound of crackling electricity from the gun was heard. The figure didn't move. Instead, he looked at her with his red eyes.

"Who are you?" Lucrecia asked.

The man was about to say something when Lucrecia saw that Cloud and Aqua had broken into her home. "Dr. Crescent, you okay?" Cloud asked.

Aqua saw that the man had jumped out of a nearby window. "Aqua, go!" Cloud yelled.

She nodded and left, following the man. Aqua kept running as she saw that the man was jumping from rooftop to rooftop. Since she still couldn't consciously fly, Aqua summoned a fog to block the man's path.

The man stopped at the rooftop of an office building and looked around confused as the fog was thick. "What the…?" he said.

He then felt the air around him suddenly grow colder. "What's going on?" he said aloud.

The man then turned around, seeing that Aqua had managed to get up to the roof. Her eyes were now ice blue and he muttered, "A Storm Rider…"

"You're…Vincent Valentine, aren't you?" Aqua asked.

The man said nothing and glared at her. "I have no choice but to capture you," Aqua said.

"Everyone has a choice," Vincent said.

"I don't…" Aqua said and summoned a frigid wind.

The wind brought snow and ice, making the air around the building abnormally cold. The ice started to encase Aqua's target and he broke through the ice by shooting at it. He then started shooting at Aqua.

When he did, Aqua summoned a gale to protect herself. The bullets were blocked by the winds and Vincent kept shooting. After several shots were fired, Aqua unleashed several bolts of lightning at her target.

It hit and sent Vincent flying off the roof. "Oh no…" Aqua said.

The weather went back to normal and Aqua began hoping that she didn't kill Vincent. "I was supposed to only knock him out…" she said, worried.

The young woman looked down from the roof and saw no one. "Huh? Didn't he just fall…?" Aqua asked herself.

A roar was heard and it sent chills down her spine. 'What was that?' Aqua thought.

The roar was heard again, but this time it was louder. A sudden feeling of dread overcame Aqua and she started to tremble in fear. 'What's going on?' Aqua thought.

She then saw a shadow of something flying above her and Aqua looked up. What she saw scared her.

A demonic looking creature flew above her and had a reddish aura around it. It flew with bat-like wings of red and black and had piercing yellow eyes. Fangs bore from its mouth and its black and red hair was spiked up from the back. Scars covered its face, arms and legs. It looked at Aqua with a feral look and charged at her.

"No!" Aqua yelled.

A windstorm rose up and pushed the creature back. It then attempted to attack again, but was pushed by another gust of wind. Roaring, it kept attempting to push past the gust of wind Aqua summoned.

'Cloud, help!' Aqua thought.

She then pushed the creature back with more wind and it became annoyed. With a growl, it flew off and headed towards the clouds. Aqua, thinking that the creature gave up, sighed in relief.

To her horror, the creature had only pretended to give up. It flew down from the skies at Mach speed and readied its claws for a fatal attack. Before Aqua could turn around, she was clawed in the back by the creature. Aqua fell to the ground and saw her attacker.

"You…" she said.

The creature's face looked exactly like the target. "How did you…?" Aqua said, in pain.

The now demonic looking Vincent grabbed Aqua and threw her into a nearby building. Before Aqua could hit it, a corridor of darkness appeared and she fell through. The creature saw this and roared with anger.

"Hey!" someone yelled.

The creature turned around and saw that Aqua's partner, Cloud, had arrived. Cloud looked at the creature and muttered, "Chaos…"

'What? Where did that come from? Just looking at him…I remember…' Cloud thought.

He then had flashbacks of times of antiquity. He remembered what Chaos did in the past and he remembered things about Fenrir. After the flashbacks, Cloud saw that Chaos had charged in to attack him.

Cloud blocked the attack with his sword and Chaos ripped the blade from his hands. He then threw the blade at Cloud. Cloud dodged out of the way and was quickly stabbed in the back by Chaos's clawed left arm.

The creature had a gleeful look on his face and Cloud said, "You haven't changed."

Chaos then threw Cloud towards the ground. The young man hit the ground with a thud and Chaos thought that he was dead. Until he saw the lunar shield that Cloud erected.

With a growl, Chaos muttered, "Fenrir…"

Cloud, now using Fenrir's power, looked up and saw that Chaos was glaring at him. "Can't believe I can say this, but you really haven't changed…You're still insane…even after…" Cloud said.

Chaos charged at him and Cloud was about to defend himself when he saw a dark corridor open up in front of him. Chaos flew into it and the corridor disappeared.

"What the…? What just happened?" Cloud said, looking around.

Not able to sense Aqua anywhere, Cloud yelled, "Aqua! Aqua!"

There wasn't a response. Now angry at himself, Cloud slumped to the ground and said, "I'm not a great protector…I failed in Nibelheim…and…now Aqua's gone. I couldn't protect her…It's just like…"

He then remembered more of Fenrir and received a revelation. Cloud was Fenrir's chosen vessel. So, in a way, he was Fenrir, the guardian of Nibelheim.

After receiving that revelation, Cloud said, "I'm not going to fail. Not this time. I'll find you, Aqua."

* * *

_So, there's the new character introductions. Wonder who summoned those dark corridors? And thanks to all those who read and review._

_-miano53_


	7. Chapter Six

"_Mrs. Maria Teresa Antonelli was the wife of Senator Nathan Antonelli of Shinra. After he died, she moved to the plains near Radiant Garden. From what I heard, before she married that senator guy, she used to work for the government as something called an "architect". Now, I feel like taking a nap after talking so much…"_

_-Old Man Galuf "Snitches" Val, Seventh Heaven Bar_

Chapter Six: Reunion

_Shinra Headquarters, July 28th…_

After coming back to base and having Director Lazard see that Aqua wasn't with him, Cloud explained what happened. "This gargoyle thing attacked her. I tried, but…" he told the director.

Director Lazard sighed and said, "It's not your fault. We'll find Aqua. That will be your assignment."

Cloud looked depressed and the young man left. Director Lazard sat back in his seat and said to himself, "She didn't have any surviving relatives…So, who would take…?"

"She is fine," someone said.

The director looked around and saw an older woman standing to his left. "Mrs. Antonelli?" Director Lazard said.

"Yes and no," the 56 year old, brown haired woman said.

"Meaning?" Director Lazard asked.

"I am just a projection. As for Aqua, she is fine. She'll come back in a few days. She's not defecting," Maria Theresa said.

The image of the woman disappeared and the director was torn. 'She has her?' he thought.

Within seconds, he contacted Cloud. "Cloud, head for Radiant Garden. Aqua's there," Director Lazard said.

"Got it," Cloud said.

* * *

_Two days later, Antonelli's School of Special Arts, 160 miles from Radiant Garden…_

Terra, rushing to the headmistress's office, kept thinking to himself, 'I'm screwed. We're screwed!'

Once he had entered the office, he saw that Maria Theresa was watering the plants in her office. "Ma'am, something's wrong," Terra started to say.

"Mr. Valentine hasn't changed back to normal? And it's been two days already," Maria Theresa said, not even turning around to see the young man.

"Yeah. All he's been doing was just raging and clawing at the walls of his cell," Terra said.

"And he's about to break out?" the headmistress asked.

"And Axel and Reno are just standing outside the cell…" Terra said.

"With Riku, Sora and Vanitas to attack if necessary. You all should've contacted me sooner," Maria Theresa said.

"But, Rosa said that…!" Terra said.

"Rosa isn't a familiar to him. He will not respond to anyone that doesn't have strong ties to him," Maria Theresa said.

She then stopped watering her plants and walked with Terra to the lower levels of the mansion. After arriving in what looked like an underground lab, Maria Theresa walked over to the holding cell that held Chaos. The creature slashed at the walls and roared, scaring the wits out of those who were in the lab.

"That's it! I'm leaving…I'm leaving…I'm leaving! I'm leaving! I'm leaving!" Sora muttered.

He was about to run when Vanitas grabbed him by the collar. "We'll be fine, chicken," he said.

"I'm not a chicken! If he gets loose, we'll all DIE! Do you hear me? We'll DIE!" Sora screamed.

Chaos slashed at the bulletproof glass and Sora screamed, "Oh gods! No! No! No! No! No!"

"You all can leave now," Maria Theresa told him.

"We're not leaving you down here by yourself," Riku said.

Terra's heart sank when he saw that Chaos had started charging for an attack. "Run!" he yelled.

The group began running in opposite directions and Reno was smart enough to pull the emergency evacuation alarm. When they ran from the cell, Chaos released the attack and destroyed the glass barrier. He immediately flew from the cell and started looking for those who imprisoned him.

He spotted someone in the underground halls and sadly, it was Sora. His twin, Vanitas, had managed to find a hiding spot. Sora saw him glaring at him and screamed.

"OH! OH! OH! OH! OH GODDESS! WHERE DO I GO? AAH! AAH! AAH!" Sora screamed, running for his life.

Chaos roared and started chasing him. As Sora ran and screamed like a girl, he accidentally summoned a wind sickle and cut the power to the basement. The place darkened and he screamed even louder.

"WAH! WHAT'S GOING ON! WAH! WAH!" Sora screamed, crying the whole time.

When the power was cut, Chaos hovered in the air and started using his sensitive hearing to find his captors. Since Sora was screaming, he followed the sound. He then heard more screams and started to get confused on which sound to follow first.

What he heard was, "Oh…Oh…Oh gods! That was freakin' hilarious!"

Chaos, with a gleeful smirk, headed to the new sound.

* * *

With Terra, Reno and Axel, the three hid in a dark corner. "Uh, do you think something's gonna happen?" Axel asked.

Reno rolled his eyes and said to his twin, "Well, Chaos is loose and the headmistress is nowhere to be found…So, we're dead if he finds us."

Terra, hungry, dug through his pockets and saw that he had a small bag of Milky Ways. The three slowly walked forward and Terra, with happiness, said, "Oh sweet, I got a bag of Milky Ways!"

"Let me have some. It'll probably be our last meal," Reno said, getting a bar.

Axel did the same and Terra was about to eat when he saw two glowing yellow eyes. A growl was heard and Terra knew it was Chaos. So, he screamed.

"AAH! AAH! AAH! OH! AAH! AAH! I'M SO DEAD! I'M SO DEAD!" Terra screamed, throwing the bag at Chaos.

The three ran off and Chaos looked around to see what was thrown at him. When he saw it was a bag of candy, the creature was annoyed. He lost the three and heard more sounds.

This time, he heard someone yell, "Do you think some scary crap is gonna happen? WAH! AAH!"

Chaos, now filled with bloodlust, roared and charged in the direction of the sound.

* * *

With Riku and Vanitas, the two heard a roar. Vanitas dropped what looked like a broom and was scared.

"AAH! No! I knew I should've never pick up that…" Vanitas whimpered, clearly out of his wits.

Riku immediately saw two glowing yellow eyes and screamed, "AAH! Run! Run!"

"Oh Cosmos, what the freak's with his face? OH MY GOD!" Vanitas said, able to see Chaos's face.

"RUN!" Riku screamed, pulling Vanitas.

The two started running and headed for the only place they knew they would be safe, the emergency cellar.

* * *

With Maria Theresa and Rosa Farrell, the two were in the emergency cellar created for the event of Chaos ever escaping. That day was a day of emergency. Rosa held up a bow and summoned an arrow of light. She took aim at the door and Maria Theresa calmly opened up the door.

Terra, Reno and Axel ran inside and started trembling. Maria Theresa closed the door and Terra said, "He almost got us…"

"He had fangs…" Axel said, rocking back and forth.

"And we lost the Milky Ways…" Reno said, hungry.

More banging on the door was heard and Maria Theresa opened the door again. Sora jumped through and started crying. "Where's Vanitas and Riku?" Terra asked.

"I dunno," Sora said, still crying.

"Oh god! Oh my god!" Riku and Vanitas screamed.

Maria Theresa saw that Chaos was chasing them and he was close enough to clawing Vanitas. Riku and Vanitas jumped before Maria Theresa closed the door. When they were in the cellar, Rosa shot Chaos with an arrow of light and Maria Theresa slammed the metal door.

Chaos, angered to the point of no return, roared at the door and started slashing at it. After slashing it, he kicked it and started blasting dark blast at it. He then went back to slashing at the door.

Inside the cellar, the two sets of twins hid behind Terra and Riku. Those two hid behind Rosa and Rosa aimed at the door, waiting for Chaos to open the door. Maria Theresa, however, sat down on the floor and closed her eyes.

Terra saw this and yelled, "This isn't a time for a nap!"

"I'm not napping. I can sense that Chaos is getting disinterested," Maria Theresa said.

"'Disinterested'? He's not getting tired?" Sora asked.

"Chaos has a near limitless supply of energy. The only time he calms down is if he gets bored or if his humanity starts to regain control," Maria Theresa explained.

A loud bang was heard and a dent appeared. "Oh no! No! No! No! No! No!" Reno said, scared.

"No…No. Get away! Holy Cosmos!" Riku yelled.

Another dent appeared on the door and Maria Theresa said, "He's going to lose interest in 3...2...1."

A scratching sound was heard and Maria Theresa said, "I knew it."

"Does that mean that Vincent's coming back?" Sora asked.

"No…He's not interested in us now…" Maria Theresa said.

"Oh…Oh thank the goddess…" Axel said, passing out.

The headmistress then did something that scared the crud out of everyone. She opened the door slightly.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" Rosa screamed, slamming the door shut.

"I'm going to calm him," Maria Theresa said.

"But he's right outside! He's destroy us all! DESTROY US ALL! DESTROY US ALL! DESTROY US ALL!" Sora yelled.

"Oh no…" Riku said, not wanting to hear Sora rant.

Vanitas, in the same attitude, punched Sora and yelled, "Shut it!"

"Ow…you didn't have to do that…" Sora muttered, rubbing his shoulder.

Maria Theresa, now sensing that Chaos had moved from the door, said, "He's gone."

She opened up the door and sense that the rest of the school had evacuated. The woman stepped into the halls and the others followed closely behind. The group walked through the halls, filled with terror as they thought Chaos was waiting for them in the shadows.

Maria Theresa, however, sensed something odd. She could sense that Chaos had found something interesting and was completely ignoring them. What he found was a bag of Milky Ways.

"Oh no…" she muttered.

"What?" Terra asked.

"He found the bag of Milky Ways," Maria Theresa said.

Terra's face went pale and he asked, "Um…what would happen if he was to eat them?"

"Besides him already having a near limitless supply of energy, he'll become hyper," Dr. Rosa said.

The group immediately stopped when they saw two yellow eyes in the distance. "Chaos…" Rosa said, now scared.

"Don't…make…ANY…sudden moves," Terra said.

"Just stay perfectly still…" Riku muttered.

Chaos heard them and turned in the direction of the sounds. Now interested in the new sounds, he got up from the ground and started hovering in the air. Much to everyone's dismay, the power was turned back on.

"AAAH!" Reno, Axel, Sora, Vanitas, Riku and Terra screamed.

Chaos looked at them and then over at Maria Theresa. He glared at her and she said, "It's okay. We weren't trying to hurt you."

Chaos roared and Maria Theresa started using her telepathy. 'Calm down. You haven't stopped your rampage in two days. This isn't healthy,' Maria Theresa thought.

A bombardment of thoughts came from Chaos and Maria Theresa said aloud, "You need to calm yourself. There's no one left to fight."

A small light started to come from the creature's chest and Terra knew that the proto-materia was reacting to the headmistress's telepathy. Now suddenly docile, Chaos landed on the ground and sat.

"It's alright. We're not here to fight. We were just trying to help you," Maria Theresa said.

Chaos suddenly went to sleep and morphed back into his human form, Vincent. Vincent was asleep and the group sighed in relief. Sadly, that woke him up.

He looked around and said, "Where am I?"

"You're back at the manor," Maria Theresa said.

Vincent tried to stand up when he felt pain all over his body. "You just turned back to normal. Take it easy," Terra said.

The headmistress looked at him and thought, 'That was too close…He could've killed someone. And we have a new person at the manor…'

* * *

_Later…_

After helping Vincent into a vita chamber and allowing the students back in the manor, Maria Theresa headed into the east wing. There, she saw that Roxas and Ventus were standing guard in front of a room.

"Hey, 'Granny'!" Ven said happily.

"Don't call her that!" Roxas said.

"But she didn't mind last time," Ven said.

"She was half-sleep!" Roxas said.

The two started arguing when the headmistress gave them a thought to stop arguing. "Let me pass," Maria Theresa said.

"She's still asleep. And those claw marks…Did Vincent…?" Ven said.

"Well, he did come back here as Chaos, roaring at everyone," Roxas said.

"Let me through…" Maria Theresa ordered, now getting impatient.

"Okay, okay…Jeez…" Ven said, opening the door.

The headmistress entered the room and saw Aqua sleeping in the bed. Using telepathy, she entered Aqua's mind and started seeing everything that led up to that day. After she was done, Maria Theresa said, "So…He became riled up when she shot him…I thought it would get better after what happened…"

Aqua woke up and saw the headmistress standing near the bed. "Who're you?" she asked.

"I'm not surprised that you don't remember me. But I remember you, Aqua," Maria Theresa said.

Aqua looked at her closely and a thought came to mind. She started remembering a woman that she called "Nana Maria" when she was a child. Her Nana and grandpa (simply called Nano) would come to Modeoheim occasionally to help her mother after her father was killed. After her mother was killed and she was captured by Shinra, Aqua lost all contact with her grandparents.

When the flashback was over, Aqua looked at Maria Theresa and said, "Nana?"

The headmistress nodded and Aqua attempted to hug her. That is, until she felt a searing pain on her back. "Ow…" she whimpered.

Maria Theresa looked at her granddaughter's back and saw the claw marks. "I'm so sorry. He was supposed to find you…Not attack you," she told Aqua.

"Huh?" Aqua said.

She was about to move when Maria Theresa ordered her not to. The older woman then placed her hand on the claw marks and Aqua winced. Within moments, the wounds healed up completely and the pain was gone.

Aqua felt no pain and said, "How did you…?"

"I'm a Special, just like you. You are what we call a 'Storm Rider'. Storm Riders can read the weather and control the elements…to a degree. I am what they call…a 'Phoenix'," Maria Theresa said.

"Why? It sounds like something from one of those comic books," Aqua said.

Maria Theresa laughed and said, "Well, that was the title your grandfather used for me after…a car accident 25 years ago. I was expected not to survive, but after a day of being in the hospital, I walked out of the hospital unscathed. When I worked for Shinra, however, I was called a 'Telepathic Architect'."

"Now that sounds like something from a movie," Aqua said.

"The 'Inception' movie? Yes, but they got the idea from people like me. The only difference is that we need no such devices or medicines to create dreams and induce people to sleep," Maria Theresa explained.

Feeling that her Nana was telling the truth, Aqua asked, "Why did you leave Shinra?"

"Well, I married your grandfather and he wanted to go into politics. He did and I was able to leave Shinra…under the conditions that I would not divulge any secrets. I agreed as I was now a politician's wife. Why they attacked my daughter and took my granddaughter, I haven't a clue," Maria Theresa said.

"So, you left the country because of what happened to me?" Aqua asked.

Maria Theresa nodded and said, "I'm sorry we had to meet under these circumstances. One of my students found you during your fight with that creature and rescued you via dark corridor before you could get killed."

"Thank you, but what was that thing? He was human first and then I see this demon," Aqua asked.

"The creature that you fought is a shape shifter. The creature is named Chaos…" Maria Theresa said.

Aqua started listening intently and Maria Theresa explained further. "Chaos is a creature who's origins and purpose has been lost in antiquity. All we know is that he is very violent and very destructive…" she explained.

"You sound as if you know him…Wait…" Aqua said.

She then connected the dots. 'Wait…if that creature that looked like Mr. Valentine…then he attacked me after he fell off the roof. And if Nana knows about that creature…then…' Aqua thought.

"He's here, isn't he?" Aqua asked.

Maria Theresa looked at her and a guilty look was on her face. "I knew it. I have to arrest him," Aqua said.

"You can't. You're not in Shinra anymore. It would be against the law to do so," Maria Theresa told her.

"But…! I can't just let him go! I'll…they'll have me jailed…" Aqua said.

"But you're not _in_ Shinra," Maria Theresa said.

"I'm…not?" Aqua said.

Her nana nodded and Aqua looked out the window. She looked at the scenery and saw that the area looked nothing like Midgar. "Huh…" Aqua said.

"We're located in the fields near Radiant Garden. As I have done with all my students, I'll extend this invitation to you. Please, give the school a chance, because you do have a choice. You can choose to leave Shinra and find freedom here. Or, you can go home now and head back to your life of servitude in Shinra," Maria Theresa said.

Aqua was silent and her nana said, "Try us for a week. If you don't feel as if you belong here, you can go back to Midgar."

Maria Theresa then left. Aqua fell back on her bed and said, "But…I can't just leave Cloud and the others…They're my closest friends…They're like family…"

With a sigh, Aqua started thinking about the offer.

* * *

_Later that night…_

Aqua, who managed to find the outdoor patio from the massive kitchen, stood outside and looked up at the skies. Since she was troubled in her thoughts, the weather reflected that. The clouds darkened and the winds picked up.

"What the…?" someone said.

Aqua immediately turned around and her face blanched. She saw that Vincent Valentine was indeed in the manor. She looked at him and he looked at her.

Within seconds of seeing each other, Aqua summoned lightning to her hands and Vincent pulled out his gun. The two aimed at each other and Aqua said, "What are you? Are you…a demon…?"

Vincent lowered his gun, as if feeling guilt. Aqua saw the look in his red eyes and saw that he was troubled. "No…" was all he said.

He then jumped from the patio and onto the roof. Aqua calmed down and dismissed the lightning that she channeled. "He's not a demon," someone said.

Aqua looked at the doorway and saw a young man with brown hair and…odd yellow eyes. 'He looks just like the guy we were supposed to find a month ago,' she thought.

"Vincent's not a bad guy. Once you get to know him, he's not so bad. He has a dry sense of humor and he can be a bit brooding," the young man said.

The young man saw that Aqua didn't trust him. "Well, I'm Terra. Terra Dal Monte. Your name?" Terra said, offering his hand.

"Aqua…Aqua Tiberi," Aqua said, shaking his hand.

"I heard from Headmistress Antonelli. She said that you're her granddaughter and you're a Storm Rider. Where're you from?" Terra asked.

"You're asking a lot of questions," Aqua said, not trusting him.

"And you're summoning a thunderstorm as we speak. It was supposed to be clear skies tonight," Terra said.

Aqua looked up and saw that the skies were cloudy and foreboding. She thought to clear the skies and her eyes started glowing an ice blue. The skies started to clear and Terra immediately said, "Nice."

After dismissing the clouds, Aqua looked at Terra and said, "So…why are your eyes yellow…and glowing…?"

"Oh…It only happens at night because of my powers. See," Terra said.

He then raised his hand and a column of darkness blasted from his hand. The darkness hit a nearby statue in the courtyard and he said, "Crud."

'So, he saved me...' Aqua thought.

"So, you're a 'Shadow Ripper'? I heard that those kind of Specials are really strong because of the darkness," Aqua asked.

"Yeah," Terra said.

"So, what about Mr. Valentine? He attacked me after turning into that Chaos thing," Aqua said.

"Oh…Well, Chaos only does that when provoked…or bored. Heck, he destroys stuff even if he's in a good mood," Terra said.

"So, what about…?" Aqua said.

"Vincent is a shape shifter, sharp shooter and just all around superhuman. I think the headmistress said that his title is 'Weapon'," Terra explained.

"So, he's a Category 4 or maybe 5...?" Aqua muttered.

"What's that all about? Categories? That's how Shinra rounds up their Specials?" Terra asked, hearing her.

"Um…no. We just do that so we can properly identify who's who," Aqua said.

"And so they can weed out the weak from the strong. That's pretty sad," Terra said.

"I never thought of it that way. But, I don't think it's a bad thing," Aqua said.

"You don't? Weird," Terra said.

"How is it weird?" Aqua said.

"Well, they are just showing who's superior and making everyone seem inferior," Terra said.

"Well, the government has to know who's more dangerous to themselves and the rest of the country," Aqua said.

Terra sighed and said, "Hopefully you'll see what I'm talking about if you stay for the week."

He then left and Aqua thought, 'But…if we didn't…then we wouldn't know…'

* * *

_Yay! Terra and Aqua finally meet for the first time! So, for you Terra/Aqua fans out there, hopefully this is the start of a beautiful…relationship. And how does Aqua's nana know Vincent?_


	8. Chapter Seven

_If anyone's wondering why the chapters are posted so fast, it's because I'm bored and have nothing else to do but either type, search for jobs again or play videogames. I'm still waiting on the job offers, so I'll type while doing so. And for Vincent's Chaos form, it looks like the one from Dirge of Cerberus._

_-miano53_

* * *

"_The "Inception Program" (where the movie got its name from) was a program designed by the Science department for the Turks and telepathic Specials working for the government. They would find targets of Shinra, induce them into sleeping, infiltrate their minds while the target was asleep. After infiltrating, the Turks would steal any information that Shinra needed."_

_-Unknown file_

Chapter Seven: Memories

_Radiant Garden, July 30th…_

Cloud, after arriving in Radiant Garden via airship, began looking around for Aqua. He started his search after hearing in a bar that a woman named Maria Theresa Antonelli had a new student.

'She maybe there,' Cloud thought.

He then went to find information on Mrs. Antonelli. Cloud found out that she lived in the countryside and set out to find the manor. Taking a motorcycle, he headed in the direction of the Antonelli manor.

'I'm coming. Just hang in there,' Cloud thought.

* * *

_July 31st, Antonelli's School of Special Arts, Maria Theresa's room, 1 a.m.…_

The headmistress woke up with a fright as she had a dream of Cloud coming to the manor. She sensed something about Cloud and muttered, "Fenrir…Why is he coming here?"

'Where did that come from?' she thought

She then sensed that Chaos was sensing Fenrir's ever growing presence. It started to rile up and Maria Theresa knew that Vincent was having a difficult time controlling it.

'Why is Chaos reacting to that growing presence in that manner? Is there something that we should know?' the headmistress thought.

'Terra!' she thought.

Terra, who was in the kitchen and making a sandwich of cheese and the most beautiful thing on earth: bacon, headed to see Maria Theresa. Once he was at the door, the headmistress opened it and said, "Terra…I need you to go to the road that runs past here. Use a dark corridor to stop a certain person from coming here."

"Is that certain person the reason why Vincent left?" Terra said.

"He what?" Maria Theresa said.

"He just left five minutes ago," Terra said, now eating.

"Find the man before he does. He'll have spiky, blonde hair and will be driving on a motorcycle," Maria Theresa said.

"Eh, 'kay," Terra said and disappeared via dark corridor.

'Terra, I hope you succeed,' the headmistress thought.

* * *

_Route 183, 20 miles from the Antonelli manor…_

Cloud, still riding on the motorcycle, headed east as he heard the Antonelli manor was in that direction. He was getting tired and the motorcycle was running on empty. 'Man, I gotta find a gas station soon,' he thought.

He was about to pull over when he saw a dark column appear in the middle of the road. Cloud rode through it and, to his dismay, wound up somewhere else.

"What the…? The freak?" Cloud said, cursing.

According to his PHS, he was now in Fabul on the southeastern continent. "Okay, now how am I gonna find Aqua?" he said aloud.

Back on the route, Terra stepped out of the corridor and saw something flying in the air. "That was way too close," he muttered, eating his sandwich.

'Wonder why did Chaos get riled up over that blonde haired guy,' Terra thought.

He then sensed that Chaos had landed nearby and had changed forms. "Oh no…" Terra thought.

'Okay, if it's the Galian Beast form Chaos took, I'm screwed. If it's the Gigas form, I'm screwed…If it's that crazed assassin form of Hellmasker, I'm dead…If it's the regular Hellmasker form, I'm dead. If it's Vincent, I'm saved!' Terra thought.

Sadly, Terra's fears almost always come true. Chaos had taken the Hellmask form and sliced Terra's sandwich in half. "Gah…" Terra said, mourning the loss of his poor sandwich.

The form that Chaos took was similar to that of Vincent. The red cape and band usually worn by Vincent was gone and a steel mask covered his face. A black, skin tight body suit covered the rest of his body and steel toed boots were on his feet. A double-edged sword was in his right hand to replace Vincent's gun and the gauntlet on his left hand looked more like a demonic claw. His long, raven hair moved in the wind, almost as if it was to replace the cape lost in the transformation.

Terra, still mourning his sandwich, looked at Chaos and said, "Why? Why the sandwich? What did it ever do to you?"

Chaos, wielding the double-edged sword, swung at Terra and the young man deftly dodged the attack. "And what did I ever do to you?" Terra asked.

Terra dodged another sword swipe and said, "Chaos, the heck?"

Chaos growled and kept attacking. Terra dodged the attacks and thought, 'Seriously, what's wrong this time?'

Within minutes of nearly getting cut in the throat by the sword, Terra low kicked Chaos, tripping the creature. "That's it! What's wrong?" Terra yelled, throwing away the last bit of his sandwich.

Chaos jumped back on his feet and changed forms. 'Don't let it be Galian Beast! Don't let it be Galian Beast!' Terra thought.

He quickly dodged after getting shot at. "Oh no…Not you. Open the corridor! 'Sup. Cool. Cool story, bro. That's awesome," Terra said, using a dark corridor to warp back to the manor.

When he arrived back at the manor, he was in the courtyard. "Huh? I thought I was supposed to be on the patio," Terra said.

He felt a presence behind him and turned around to look. He regretted it soon after.

"AAH!" Terra screamed as he saw that Chaos had turned into the assassin form.

The assassin form of Hellmasker looked similar to it, but minus the sword. The added were fangs, pieces of armor on the body suit and Vincent's Cerberus gun. Chaos punched Terra in the face, knocking him to the ground.

"Uh…Uh..." Terra said.

Chaos lifted Terra by the collar and said in a more ragged voice, "Who told you to do that?"

"Do what?" Terra asked, struggling to get free.

Angered, Chaos started growling and said, "She told you, didn't she?"

"What are you talking about?" Terra said, still struggling.

"Chaos, stop!" someone yelled.

Chaos looked to his left and had a glare on his face. Maria Theresa had arrived outside and she glared back at him. "You're here to imprison me again?" Chaos said, dropping Terra.

"You know better than anyone why you can't be free," Maria Theresa told him.

Chaos smirked and aimed the Cerberus at her. "You're that willing to do such a thing? You know that he'll fight you soon," Maria Theresa told him.

With a psychotic look, Chaos shot at Maria Theresa. What he forgot was that Maria Theresa was also a telekinetic. She stopped the bullet and disintegrated it.

Growling, Chaos took aim again and started shooting. The headmistress stopped the bullets again and turned them into dust. Now angered and wanting her gone, Chaos kept shooting.

This time, the bullets were filled with dark energy. Terra saw this and sent a wave of his own dark energy at the bullets. It hit, forcing the bullets to stop in mid air.

Chaos saw this and took aim at Terra. Terra quickly used a dark corridor to escape and Chaos started shooting. Since Terra didn't reappear for several moments, Chaos took aim at Maria Theresa again.

He shot at her and she defended herself again by mentally stopping the bullets. After several shots, the gun ran out of bullets and Chaos was annoyed. Before he could attempt to reload, Terra grabbed his arms and yelled, "Now!"

Maria Theresa tapped into Chaos's mind and saw that Vincent wasn't there. "Oh no…" she said aloud.

'Vincent. Wake up!' she thought.

Chaos, now angered, threw Terra off of him and changed his form again. 'Not Galian Beast. Not Galian Beast!' Terra thought.

Sadly, Chaos changed into the Galian Beast form. "Aw, dang it!" Terra yelled, cursing.

He roared and started charging at the two. Terra pushed the headmistress out of the way and was hit by the tackle, crashing into a nearby statue. "Ow…" he said, holding his head.

Chaos turned and looked at Maria Theresa. 'Vincent, fight! Don't let it win!' she thought.

Her thoughts were sent to the beast and he started to shake his head in pain. The beast suddenly looked at Maria Theresa and became docile. Maria Theresa sighed as she could sense that Vincent had regained control.

Terra sensed it as well and said, "Next time, don't aim for the sandwich! Or me!"

Vincent changed back to normal and said, "Sorry…I don't know...why it became agitated…"

"Go to sleep. We'll talk further about it in the morning," Maria Theresa said.

* * *

_Later that morning…_

After entering her Nana's office and easily hacking into her computer, Aqua began looking into the files of the students of the manor. The manor had apparently about 80 students and 20 teachers, including Maria Theresa. The students were grouped into categories and the categories looked similar to the grouping systems used in the Shinra government.

The first six categories were those of the elemental classes of earth, wind, fire, water, light and dark. The next several categories dealt with things such as the mental, physical, feral, molecular and technological. Within those categories were classes divided by names such as Storm Rider, Light Channeler, Technopath and Split Soul. Names of students were found within those classes as well as their stories.

Aqua looked at the story of a student named Cecil Harvey. He was an elemental Special called a Split Soul. The Split Souls were notorious for having a mixture of light and darkness within them and the degree of power was controlled by the moon phases. The opposing forces constantly fought for dominance over the Special during said phases and many chose to rely on the darkness within them, corrupting them quickly. Cecil was born from parents that were also Specials, with one being a Paladin and the other a Tenebrae Witch. He apparently had a brother, but nothing else was written about him.

The Storm Rider looked at another story and it was that of a student named Rosa Farrell. Rosa Farrell was a light-based Special called a White Mage. White Mages were known to heal allies using the power of light. They could also attack with the same power, but in limited quantities compared to the Light Channelers and Paladins. She arrived from the small country of Baron when she was only six after her mother discovered her powers. Since then, she was great friends with Terra and Cecil.

The next story Aqua looked at was the story of Sora and Vanitas Masumoto. The twins were Elbanese Specials known as Wind Riders. Wind Riders could control the winds to a degree and use it to fly. The winds were also used to attack in the form of sickles and discs. The twins' parents were teachers at the school and they died during a mission in Elban.

The fourth story Aqua checked was Axel and Reno Velazquez's story. The twins were Saronian Specials known as Pyros. Pyros were notorious for using the power of flame for mischief and chaos. Pyros were also able to turn their entire bodies into flame, but it took a great amount of stamina and mental stress. The Velazquez twins' parents died during a monster attack on the town of Vigrid.

The last story Aqua looked at was Ventus and Roxas Nublado. The twins were also Wind Riders like Sora and Vanitas, but the two were from the town of Twilight in the kingdom of Radiant Garden. They were also orphans as their parents died from disease when the two were three years old. They were taken to the manor at the age of four when their powers were discovered by the town's orphanage.

Aqua was about to read on Terra's story when Maria Theresa entered the room. She had a stern look on her face and asked, "You're reading up on my students?"

"Um…" Aqua said.

"I don't see the harm. I know you will not expose this to Shinra," Maria Theresa told her.

Aqua logged off the computer and was about to leave when Maria Theresa asked, "Did Shinra tell you what they are prepared to do?"

"What?" Aqua said.

"Shinra will do something terrible and you will be used as a pawn for them. Are you willing to sacrifice yourself for them?" Maria Theresa told her.

Aqua said nothing. Instead, she left the room and Maria Theresa muttered, "So, you're torn?"

* * *

_Outside, gardens…_

Once outside, Aqua looked around and began thinking about what her grandmother said. Before she could think any further, she saw Ventus, Roxas, Vanitas and Sora practicing flight. For some reason, Sora was being directed on where to fly by his twin.

"Okay, you see that roof up there, Sora?" Vanitas asked.

"Uh, yeah. Yeah," Sora said.

"Okay, we're going up," Vanitas told him.

"Oka…Ooh, who's that over there?" Sora asked, leaving.

Vanitas sighed, "Why?"

Sora saw Aqua and introduced himself to her. She reciprocated and Sora led her to the others. They introduced themselves and Ven asked, "I heard you're a Storm Rider. You wanna practice flying with us?"

"I…don't know how," Aqua admitted.

"You're a Storm Rider and don't know how to fly?" Roxas asked.

"No one ever taught me how. And what makes you all qualified to teach me?" Aqua said.

"The four of us are Wind Riders. So, we can teach you," Sora said.

"You can't even fly straight!" Vanitas yelled.

"I'll prove it! Just watch, Aqua," Sora said.

"Okay, we're going up. Just jump up and catch me," Vanitas said.

Sora did and the winds pushed him up. He caught the jumping Vanitas and the twins started going…east. "No. No! NO! NO! NO!" Vanitas yelled.

The two crashed into a statue, breaking it. "Ow…" Vanitas said.

"My bad," Sora said.

"Yeah!" Vanitas said, angry.

"It was my fault…" Sora said.

* * *

Fifteen attempts later and Sora said with a slightly serious face, "Attempt number 16…"

Vanitas jumped up and the flying Sora caught him. They started going up and Vanitas was happy. "Yes! Yes! Yes! Up!" he exclaimed.

The two made it to the top of the roof, but Sora kept going higher. "What? No! No! NO!" Vanitas yelled.

Sora suddenly gotten tired and the two went straight back down. "I'm tired. I'm really tired…I'm sorry. I got tired…" Sora said.

After twenty more attempted at flying while holding a person, Sora said, "Little engine that could…I think I can! I think I can!"

The two went up and landed on the roof. "YES!" Vanitas yelled.

"Rock 'n Roll! Yeah!" Sora exclaimed.

He then flew off and Vanitas yelled, "Where're you going!"

Roxas looked back at Aqua and said, "Okay. He'll come back. So, we'll teach you."

"Okay, so you just want to command the wind to lift you up. Usually you just jump up," Ven explained.

"Like so," Roxas said and jumped up. The wind picked him up and he started flying.

"Like this…?" Aqua said. She jumped up and the winds heeded her.

She started hovering and laughed. "I'm…I'm flying!" she cried.

Aqua then started going up and was elated. "Wait!" Ven and Roxas said.

The two flew up to the roof and Aqua stopped in the air. "Okay, so to practice further…Vanitas!" Roxas yelled.

Vanitas flew over to them and said, "What? You want her to catch us?"

"Yup," Ven said.

Vanitas sighed and helped them teach Aqua how to fly properly. Sora, who managed to realize that Vanitas didn't follow him, flew back to the manor and helped. Unlike Sora, Aqua got the hang of flying rather quickly. Thus was Sora a bit jealous.

* * *

_Maria Theresa's office..._

Naminé, a Memory Weaver, sat in the headmistress's office during the recess of classes. She started drawing something and Maria Theresa could sense that the girl was drawing her memories. "So, you have tele-empathy. You can sense a persons emotions and memory. You can also manipulate both emotions and memory," Maria Theresa explained.

"So, is that why I'm drawing this?" Naminé asked.

Maria Theresa saw that she was drawing an old friend of hers, her deceased husband, Nathan, and Vincent and Grimoire Valentine, Vincent's father. They were in the appearance of their younger selves and Maria Theresa looked sad.

"What's wrong?" Naminé asked.

"I was just thinking..." Maria Theresa said.

'That was when we first met...' she thought.

* * *

_Thirty five years ago..._

_Maria Theresa, age 21, rode in a Shinra vehicle headed for Nibelheim. She looked around and saw another man who looked much older than her sitting on her right. His name was Dr. Grimoire Valentine of Shinra. To her left was a younger brown haired, blue eyed man named Nathan Antonelli. _

_"Well, Maria, are you excited about the new project?" Dr. Grimoire asked._

_"Um...I haven't a clue what you all want me to do. I'm just a telepath," Maria Theresa said._

_"As is Nathan," Dr. Grimoire said._

_'I don't think he is,' Maria Theresa thought._

_'Well, you're a bit off today,' Nathan thought._

_Maria Theresa looked at him and saw that he was looking out the window. A smug looked was on his face and she thought, 'So, why are we here? I thought the government didn't like Specials.'_

_'They want us for this new project that they are doing that they call "Dream Inception." Basically, what that means is that we create a dream, an illusion if you will, and help the Turks extract information from targets,' Nathan told her through thoughts._

_"We're here," Dr. Grimoire said._

_The car arrived at Shinra Manor, the former summer home of President Shinra, and the three got out. Once they were inside the mansion, they saw a Turk with short, raven hair and hazel eyes. He stood next to a brown, long-haired woman who looked like a Shinra scientist. The last one looked a bit older and he was quickly identified by Maria Theresa's telepathy as Dr. Hojo._

_"Ah, you're finally here," Dr. Hojo told Grimoire._

_"Well, we have our architect, our point man, our forger, our compass and our guardian," Dr. Grimoire said._

_Noticing that Maria Theresa looked a bit warily at the two near Dr. Hojo, Dr. Grimoire immediately said, "Ah, Maria, this is..."_

_"Vincent Valentine, your son and that's Dr. Lucrecia Crescent-Hojo, your protégé," Maria Theresa said._

_Vincent looked at her and said, "How did...?"_

_"I'm a telepath...I can read minds," Maria Theresa told him._

_Vincent still looked unnerved and Maria Theresa gave him a thought to calm down. He did. Dr. Lucrecia looked at Nathan and Maria Theresa and said, "Well, I'm glad that you're here. Do you want to get started, Dr. Valentine?"_

_Dr. Grimoire nodded and the group headed into a lab. The next thing Maria Theresa knew she was sitting with Dr. Grimoire and Nathan at a cafe at Costa del Sol. "Well, with dreams, people don't usually realize that they're in one until they are in the middle of it. Have you ever wondered that?" Dr. Grimoire said._

_"Um...yeah, I guess," Maria Theresa said._

_"No, not really," Nathan said._

_"Then, do you know how we got here?" Dr. Grimoire asked._

_"Yeah. We came from...the..." Nathan said._

_"Wait? This is a dream?" Maria Theresa said._

_The city around them started to shatter as Maria Theresa was terrified. "Oh no...You're more than a telepath, aren't you?" Dr. Grimoire muttered._

_Maria Theresa suddenly woke up and gasped for air. She looked around and saw that she was sitting in a chair. An IV was connected to her arm that was connected to a computer. The young woman ripped it out of her arm and was about to get up when Dr. Lucrecia said, "It's okay. You're awake."_

_She didn't believe her and one of the computers suddenly exploded. Dr. Grimoire, now awake, looked at what happened and said, "She's also a telekinetic."_

_Nathan began reading her thoughts and saw that it was a jumbled mess. 'Calm down...You're out of the dream,' he said to her through thought._

_Maria Theresa looked at him and she was calmed. "Well, that was odd. When you're in a dream or coming out of one, panic is quite common the first time around. I'm also sure that you were able to sense that the dream was unnatural as we used a machine to induce sleep," Dr. Grimoire said._

_"Well, couldn't Nathan induce the dream this time?" Dr. Lucrecia asked._

_"Yes. Vincent, you are to come with me, Maria and Nathan to the next dream," Dr. Grimoire ordered._

_After entering the mind of Maria Theresa through the dream that Nathan created, the four saw that they were at a ranch. Chocobos ran freely and Dr. Grimoire explained more about dreams and why the Shinra government was so interested in it. _

_"The Shinra government is interested in dreams as dreams are a projection of the mind. The theory is that if we plant a thought into a person's subconscious, the conscious will follow soon after," Dr. Grimoire said._

_"So, that means you want us to help you...mess with world leaders' heads?" Maria Theresa said._

_"That's about it," Vincent said._

_"Well, that's not a good thing," Maria Theresa said._

_"It comes with the job," Vincent said._

_"Well, as I was saying, as an architect, you can alter the dream any way you want," Dr. Grimoire said._

_Nathan, getting an idea, thought to change parts of the ranch. He added a few apple trees and several gardens. "But you have to be careful. If you change the dream too much, the person's subconscious will know something's wrong," Dr. Grimoire said._

_Vincent looked around and saw that the chocobos started looking at them. They looked as if they were suspicious of them. "Um..." Vincent started to say._

_Nathan started making more things on the ranch and chocobos started looming towards them. "Nathan, stop!" Dr. Grimoire warned._

_Everyone but Maria Theresa was surrounded by the chocobos and Dr. Grimoire saw a woman charged towards them. She was holding her hand out and a glow came from it. He knew that something terrible was about to happen and tried to push pass the chocobos. _

_"No!" he yelled._

_Vincent saw that the woman was aiming for Nathan. The woman aimed for his chest and the group kept trying their best to escape the chocobo-made cage._

_"Someone wake us up! Wake her up, Nathan! Wake her up!" Vincent yelled._

_The woman was about to stab him when Maria Theresa screamed, "NO! MOTHER! STOP IT!"_

_The dream shattered and the woman disappeared. Everyone woke up with a started and Dr. Grimoire yelled, "That is why you don't alter dreams!"_

_"But that never happened before!" Nathan yelled back._

_"Who was that woman?" Vincent asked._

_Everyone looked at Maria Theresa and she said, "That...was my mother. I don't know why she appeared...but I didn't will it."_

_"Your subconscious did that to protect itself," Dr. Lucrecia said, taking out the IVs._

_"Well, we have many days to work it out. So, get some rest," Dr. Grimoire said. _

* * *

After remembering what happened those many years ago, Maria Theresa muttered, "And...after Nathan and I were able to leave...things went very wrong."

"Huh? Did you say something?" Naminé asked.

"No. It's nothing," the headmistress said.

* * *

_That night..._

Maria Theresa woke up to hear a crashing sound coming from the courtyard. She looked out the window and saw that most of the inner courtyard was destroyed. Statues and fountains were disintegrated. The hedges looked as if someone had hacked through it and most of the gardens were burned.

Sensing something was wrong, the headmistress put on a housecoat and headed outside. Before she could, Rosa found her and said, "Vincent...he's not..."

"In his room? I know. Make sure you tell the other teachers not to let any of the kids out of their rooms," Maria Theresa said.

"Headmistress!" someone yelled.

Maria saw that Sora, Vanitas and one of the students, 19-year-old Cecil Harvey, came into the halls and asked about the crashing sounds in the courtyard. "I'll take care of it. Just stay inside," Maria Theresa said.

"But what if he's too strong? You'll need someone to help you," the white haired young man said.

"I'll be fine Cecil. Stay inside," Maria Theresa said.

She then headed for the courtyard. Once there, she felt someone watching her. Knowing who it was, Maria Theresa said, "Why are you out again? There was nothing traumatic that happened today."

The woman immediately dodged out of the way after sensing a dark blast heading for her direction. Maria Theresa heard a roar and knew who it was.

"Why? Why are you out?" she asked.

Chaos had came down from the roof and looked rather smug. "So, why are you here? You've managed to destroy the whole inner courtyard," Maria Theresa said.

Chaos ignored her and charged at his "warden". The headmistress used her telekinesis and stopped him in midair. The creature roared and growled at her.

"You know I don't like doing this," Maria Theresa said.

She then summoned some metal and wrapped it around Chaos. The bindings held him and pinned him to the ground. The creature roared and Maria Theresa looked at him with pity.

"Why do you do this?" she asked.

A bombardment of thoughts came into her head and it was mostly jumbled messages. Maria Theresa then did something that was only used for last resorts. She performed a mind blast on him.

That shattered all of Chaos's thoughts and put him in a coma. He growled and started to look as if he was in a daze. "I didn't want to..." Maria Theresa said.

Vincent turned back to normal and he looked as if he was in a daze as well. Maria Theresa then said, "Sorry. I had no choice..."

He started stirring awake and Maria Theresa used her telepathy to put him back to sleep. She then alerted Cecil and a few of the other instructors to put Vincent in one of the labs. They did and she stood outside in her destroyed courtyard.

'Vincent...Even with the proto-materia...you can't control it. Maybe...she needs to come...' Maria Theresa thought.

* * *

_Well that's how the two met. So, what's with the proto-materia not working?_

_-miano53_


	9. Chapter Eight

_Thanks once again to those who read and reviewed the story. Now, we'll get into more of Aqua's story and see where that goes. Will she stay with Nana Antonelli or will she go back to Shinra?_

_-miano53_

* * *

"_During the age of Molech-Kittim, Chaos defected from his celestial place and began his journey to find his lost love, Lakshmi. Fenrir and Valigarmanda followed him and found that Lakshmi had been lost to the Darkness due to her curiosity. Angered by this, Chaos vowed to find her and bring her back. Fenrir warned him not to attempt to follow Lakshmi, lest he gets lost as well. Chaos, stubborn, ignored the warnings of his friends and stepped into the Darkness. When he did, everything changed. He was no longer the 'Suppresser of Disorder and Executor of Those that Bring Disorder'. He became Chaos, the 'Harbinger of Death and Destruction'."_

_-A translated copy of the Molech-Kittim Grimore_

Chapter Eight: Leaving

_Unknown…_

_Fenrir, and his companion, Valigarmanda, headed for a place that they were told not to go. That place was the border between the Realm of Darkness and the Realm of Giruvegan. They saw a large barrier that separated the two realms and a large, white door served as the only gate. _

"_Where is he?" Fenrir said, looking around._

_"I haven't a clue. I see him not," Valigarmanda said to her blonde haired friend_.

_Fenrir kept looking until he saw his raven haired acquaintance standing at the door. "Chaos, what are you doing?" Fenrir asked._

_Chaos turned to see the two and said, "I'm going to find her."_

"_But if you cross the boundary…you'll…" Valigarmanda said._

"_When I do…I trust that you'll bring me back," Chaos said._

"_But!" Valigarmanda said._

_Chaos stepped through a crack in the door and within seconds, Fenrir and Vali heard roars. Knowing it was Chaos, Valigarmanda summoned wind to push him back. The wind from the other Realm did and Chaos was sent back to their's. The door to the Realm of Darkness slammed shut and it disappeared._

"_Chaos, can you hear me?" Fenrir said, seeing that he was unconscious._

"_We must take him back. The elders may know what to do," Vali said._

_They did and after Chaos woke up, they knew that he wasn't the same. His speech, mannerisms and memory were distorted by the darkness and all focused on one thing: finding Lakshmi. It became so terrible that when he was confronted by Fenrir, Chaos fought him and the lunar warrior was soundly defeated._

* * *

Cloud immediately woke up to find that he was on a Shinra helicopter headed for Radiant Garden. He looked around and saw his friends and commanding officer. They were minding their own business and looking out nearby windows.

Confused, the Lunar Knight began thinking about what had transpired. He could only think of one thing.

'What…? Was that a memory?' he thought.

* * *

_Antonelli's School of Special Arts, August 4th…_

After a week of staying, Aqua was still torn on what to do. Sitting in the observation room above the training room, as Terra wanted to see her, she kept thinking on what to do.

'If I stay here, I'll have to leave behind Cloud and the others. If I go back, I'll have to leave my only family behind,' Aqua thought.

Her thoughts were shattered when Terra sat next to her. "So, are you going to stay?" Terra asked.

"I don't know…" Aqua said.

"Well, just let me know if you want to leave. I'll help you back," Terra said, looking a bit sad.

Aqua was about to say something when she heard Vanitas yelled, "C'mon, Sora, fly above the wall."

"Seriously, what are we waiting for?" Ventus asked.

"We have to fight more robots!" Roxas yelled.

"I can't!" Sora said, stuck in a corner in the training room.

"C'mon! What are you doing?" Vanitas yelled, face turning red.

"We have to finish this session!" Ventus yelled, nearly screaming.

"What are you doing?" Roxas yelled, still not seeing Sora.

"I'm stuck!" Sora yelled.

"JUST FLY ABOVE THE WALL!" Vanitas screamed, face flushed red.

"Oh," Sora said, hearing Vanitas.

"GAH! OH MY GODS!" the three yelled in exasperation.

"What's with Sora?" Aqua asked.

"He's a bit…dense…" Terra said.

Sora then did something stupid again. He started attacking the wrong robots. Vanitas saw this and said, "Why are you hitting that one?"

"Hit the one over here," Roxas said, pointing at the robot Vanitas, Ven and he were fighting.

"Just a minute," Sora said.

"This is a team effort!" Ven yelled.

"C'mon, the three of us are fighting this!" Roxas said.

"Just a minute!" Sora yelled.

"IT'S A TEAM EFFORT!" Vanitas yelled.

"TEAM EFFORT!" Ven yelled.

"YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND?" Roxas screamed.

"Just a minute!" Sora yelled back.

"THERE'S FOUR OF US!" Ven screamed.

"WHY DO YOU HAVE TO KEEP HITTING IT! GAH!" Vanitas screamed, getting pissed off.

"WHY! WHAT THE…! GAAHHH!" the boys screamed.

'Man, Sora's a dunce…' Aqua thought.

After the four were done with their training session, Aqua saw that Cecil and Rosa were practicing. Cecil attacked manikins with both the power of dark and light while Rosa used light attacks. As she watched, Aqua felt a bit of familiarity with the two, but she had never met them before. Needless to say, Aqua didn't hear what Terra had said to say.

"So, are you staying?" Terra asked.

Aqua looked at him and said, "Huh? Oh. I don't know."

"Well, you need to decide before the day ends. I am hoping that you do stay," Terra said.

"But, I have friends in Midgar…If I leave…" Aqua said.

"You'll leave your friends. I understand," Terra said.

"You do?" Aqua asked.

"Yeah. It'll be like if I left here for somewhere else. Sora and the others would be devastated," Terra said.

"So…you know why I have to go back," Aqua said.

Terra looked down and immediately said, "Before you go, just let me take you to Radiant Garden. I'll show you around town."

Aqua agreed and Terra opened a dark corridor. The two left through there and it closed behind them.

* * *

_Radiant Garden, 12 noon…_

The two arrived at the capital city of Radiant Garden and Aqua saw that it was massive. There were many districts and many of them were dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge. Terra had taken Aqua to the marketplace and started showing her around the city.

As they walked around, Aqua started feeling as if someone was following them. She turned around and saw no one. 'Huh?' she thought.

"What's wrong?" Terra asked.

"I thought someone was following us," Aqua said.

"Well, it may be the nerves," Terra said.

"Nerves of what?" Aqua asked.

"The nerves of deciding whether or not to stay or leave," Terra said.

"Maybe that's it," Aqua said.

She then noticed that Terra's blue eyes were now staring at hers and she felt…safe. 'But I don't know that guy that well,' Aqua said.

"But you do…" someone said.

Aqua saw that everyone, including Terra, was frozen. She looked around for the owner of the voice and saw a woman wearing a red and white coat. The hood covered her face and an odd aura surrounded her. Since she stopped time, the sky and the surrounding area turned orange.

"Who are you?" Aqua asked.

"My name is of no importance at this time. But I've known you for a time. A long, long time," the woman said with an odd accent.

Aqua attempted to summon lightning to her hands, but nothing happened. "Your powers are ineffective when time has stopped. But, do not fear. I will not hurt you," the woman said.

Aqua calmed down and asked, "What do you mean by…?"

"That you know Terra? You know him and are started to realize who you are. Your true powers are awakening," the woman said.

The young woman was silent and the woman said, "It is best that I show you."

Aqua then saw that the scenery had changed to that of an ancient city. The woman and she were floating above it and Aqua saw that the entire city was floating on air. Crystals floated in the air and an eerie fog filled the city.

"What is this place?" Aqua asked.

"This was once one of the greatest cities in the world many eons ago. Its inhabitants, the l'Cie, were powerful creatures, able to turn into eidolons at will. Situated in the lofty heavens, away from humans, the city was one of four that kept the balance between light and darkness. The city also kept watch over those who had the ability to summon the great force that gave them their powers, Kingdom Hearts," the woman explained.

"Kingdom Hearts?" Aqua asked.

"Yes, the place that is said where the Creator, Cosmos, is said to dwell. She created the l'Cie cities, the inhabitants and gave them their abilities. After She was finished, the Creator trusted the cities to keep the balance. That balance was kept for many eons, until…three children of the city left after hearing rumors in the human cities about the location of Kingdom Hearts. Due to their curiosity, they crossed the border of the realm and entered the Realm of Darkness, believing that it was Kingdom Hearts."

"When that happened, a certain inhabitant was devastated as one of the children lost was his lover," the woman said.

"So…what happened?" Aqua asked.

The woman sighed and said, "He entered the Realm of Darkness and was immediately corrupted. And…this is what happened."

The image of the city changed to that of desolate ruins. The crystals had fallen to the ground and looked like snow. The fog was thicker than normal and Aqua was able to see her reflection.

"He destroyed the city and killed 95% of the city's population. The only ones who survived were the Fal'Cie, the elders of the city. They captured him and sealed him away. To make sure that he never regained his full strength, he was split in two. His power and memories were sealed along with his body. His heart, however, was taken and crystallized, turning into something the humans called 'proto-materia'."

"The proto-materia was released and the elders could only hope that he would never been revived. With that, the Fal'Cie sealed themselves away into eternal sleep. But in the event that the creature would escape his bonds, the elders casted a spell on the materia to wake them from their slumber so they could seal him once more, lest the world be destroyed," the woman explained.

"So…what was his name?" Aqua asked.

"The creature was known to humans as the 'Suppresser of Disorder and Executor of Those that Bring Disorder'," the woman said.

'Sounds…familiar,' Aqua thought.

"To those in the city, he was simply known as Chaos," the woman said.

"Huh? Chaos?" Aqua said.

The image of the city disappeared and the two were back in Radiant Garden. Time stood still and the woman said, "Yes…His name was Chaos…He was the suppressor of disorder, but when he entered the Realm of Darkness to find his love, Lady Lakshmi, he changed."

'But…if Chaos was sealed away…why is…?' Aqua thought.

"He was reincarnated, just as you have," the woman said.

"What?" Aqua said.

"It is time for you to know who and what you really are. You are the 'Bringer of Storms: Lady Valigarmanda'," the woman said.

Aqua was about to ask the woman a question when she suddenly disappeared. "Hey! Wait! What are you talking about?" she yelled.

Time was restarted and Aqua found herself standing next to Terra. "Aqua? Are you okay?" he asked.

"Um…Y-yeah…" Aqua said, confused.

"What's wrong?" Terra asked, noticing that Aqua's face was pale.

"It's nothing," Aqua said.

"Okay...Well, this is all I can show of Radiant Garden...You sure you wanna leave?" he asked.

Aqua nodded and Terra sighed. "I guess I should take you back. But first," Terra said.

He took out a small star-shaped charm and said, "Well, if you change your mind..."

"What's this?" Aqua asked.

"It's a Wayfinder. People give each other this for good luck...And, I made it yesterday as a welcoming gift, but I guess it's a parting gift..." Terra said, sighing.

Aqua looked at it and it was blue in color. An odd symbol was in the center of the star charm and Aqua thought, 'This...symbol...I've seen it before.'

She then remembered what the mysterious woman told her. 'No...That's impossible. There's nothing like that in any historic records. And, people can't be reincarnated,' Aqua thought.

Seeing that she said nothing for two minutes, Terra said, "Are you sure you're okay? You're spacing out on me."

"Oh...Sorry. I'm fine. Take me back to..." Aqua said.

The two then sensed that something was wrong near the manor. "Do you...?" Aqua asked Terra.

"Sense that? Yep. Let's go," Terra said.

He then grabbed Aqua's hand and the two disappeared in a dark corridor.

* * *

_On the road 10 miles near the Antonelli's School of Special Arts..._

Cloud, Zack, Tifa and Sephiroth came out of their burning Shinra helicopter after someone or something shot them down. "What was that?" Tifa said, coughing because of the smoke.

"Something BIG hit us," Zack said.

Sephiroth was about to call for assistance from Shinra when the PHS in his hand was shot out of it. Cloud sensing a familiar presence, turned around and saw a man in red and black. 'You?' he thought.

Vincent, who had sensed that Cloud was coming due to Chaos recovering from the mind blast, stood 30 feet from the burning helicopter. He glared at the group with his red eyes and pointed his gun at them. Before he could shoot, Terra and Aqua appeared and Terra could sense that Chaos was getting riled up.

Aqua sensed it as well and felt that Fenrir in Cloud was also getting riled up. Cloud pulled out his blade and glared at Vincent.

Terra, knowing that Vincent's control over Chaos was slipping rather fast, summoned a dark corridor and it covered Zack, Tifa and Sephiroth. The three were sent back to Midgar, as that's were Terra assumed they were from, but for some reason Cloud didn't go back. To Terra's surprise, he saw a faint purple aura coming from Cloud and a red and black aura coming from Vincent.

The two glared at each other and Terra saw that the auras intensified. Within seconds, he saw an image of a wolf coming from Cloud and the image of Chaos coming from Vincent. 'What the...? What's going on?' Terra thought.

Aqua saw the same thing and said, "If they fight...then..."

Time suddenly stopped and Aqua saw that both Vincent and Cloud were frozen. "Aqua, did you do this?" Terra asked.

"No. I don't have this power," Aqua said.

"Do not be alarmed. They shall not fight," someone said.

Aqua saw that the woman from before appeared and Terra asked, "Who the heck are you?"

"No one that is worth mentioning," the woman said.

"You stopped time, so you're worth mentioning," Terra said.

The woman said nothing and looked over at Cloud and Vincent. "These two...they must be kept separated," the woman said.

"Why?" Aqua asked.

"You still do not remember? Well, all will be revealed in time. And your role, Terra, will be revealed as well," the woman said.

"What role?" Terra asked.

"It will be revealed in due time. For now, you and Aqua must part ways. She must take Cloud back to Midgar and you must take Vincent back to the manor before the beast inside him take control," the woman said.

Terra looked sad and knew that when time was released, Vincent's control over Chaos will fail due to Cloud's presence. "I'll see you again," Terra said.

"That you will," the woman said.

"Wait, I don't get a say?" Aqua said.

The woman disappeared and Terra used a dark corridor to send Aqua and Cloud to Midgar. Once they were gone, time restarted and Vincent saw that Cloud was gone.

With trepidation, Terra asked, "You okay?"

As if coming out of a daze, Vincent said, "What happened?"

"You...don't remember what happened?" Terra asked.

Vincent shook his head and Terra said, "Let's just go, okay?"

The older man agreed to and the two headed back to the manor.

* * *

_Unknown location..._

The woman that Aqua met arrived in a dimly lit room and she sat down at a round table. She said something in an ancient language and people wearing the same red and white cloaks appeared. They all sat down at the round table and the woman said, "I see that you all are awake."

"Yes...Asura, have you found the location of the lost children?" one of them asked.

The woman, Asura, looked at him and said, "Lord Father, I was only able to locate the awakened blood of Fenrir, Valigarmanda, Hashmal...and Phoenix."

"Lord Bahamut, we could only awaken if the heart of the fallen one did," another said.

"Yes, Odin. Asura, are you sure that you didn't find anyone else?" the leader, Bahamut, said.

With a sigh, Asura said, "I have...I believe that Chaos has been reincarnated, just like the other children."

"What? That's not possible. He was to be sealed away forever, especially after his traitorous act," the others said in anger.

"I haven't a clue how it happened, but apparently Chaos managed to release his soul before the seal could contain him. Thus, he was reincarnated," Asura said.

"Has his memory of what happened returned?" Bahamut asked.

"No. But it's only a matter of time as the proto-materia is within his new body and it's failing. He'll regain his true strength and may destroy the world due to his distorted memory," Asura said.

"Where is his new body now?" Odin asked.

"It is in the region of Radiant Garden, at the home of the reincarnated Phoenix. She goes by the name Maria Theresa Antonelli," Asura said.

"We will keep watch over him. When the time is right, Chaos shall be sealed once more," Bahamut said.

* * *

_Wow...a lot of info, isn't it? Review? _

_P.S.: Many of the names such as Lakshmi, Valigarmanda and Fenrir are summons found in Final Fantasy VI. _

_-miano53_


	10. Chapter Nine

"_The Bringer of Storms, Valigarmanda, was the granddaughter of Phoenix. She was good friends with Hashmal, Fenrir, Chaos and Lakshmi. When Lakshmi disappeared with Zalera and Mateus to find Kingdom Hearts out of curiosity, Valigarmanda lost two friends. Chaos left to find Lakshmi and lost his mind. When she went with Fenrir to confront the abnormally behaving Chaos. When they did, they were quickly defeated. After their defeat, Chaos proceeded to destroy the city of Giruvegan. When he decimated the city with his power, the Fal'Cie sealed him away with the hopes of him never returning."_

_-translated unknown tome_

Chapter Nine: Awakening

_Unknown…_

_A man wearing a red and white cloak stood at the entrance to the city of Giruvegan and he was speaking with a woman wearing the same attire. Under the hood, his black hair covered his eyes and he said to the woman, "Lakshmi, you don't have to go."_

"_But…I have to find out. If we find Kingdom Hearts, we can ask Cosmos why she left us and…why we can't speak with humans," Lakshmi, the brown haired woman, said._

"_Do you really have to ask Her? Or is it that you can't control your curiosity?" the man asked._

_Lakshmi was silent and the man asked, "Are you sure this is what you want? If you go, you might not make it back."_

"_Yes, I'm sure, Chaos!" Lakshmi yelled._

_Chaos was silent for a bit and he began to realize why Lakshmi wanted to go find Kingdom Hearts. "This…is about your father, isn't it?" he asked with a worried look._

_Lakshmi was taken aback, but she quickly composed herself. "No! The journey is for knowledge," she said._

_Chaos knew she was lying, but said nothing. Since he said nothing, Lakshmi left the city. When she was gone, he left a terrible longing for her._

"_Lakshmi…" he said._

_The longing was overwhelming and Chaos ran after her. When he left the city, Lakshmi was already gone…_

* * *

Vincent woke up with a start and saw that he was still in his room. He was breathless and was confused as to what happened. 'A dream…?' he thought.

He looked down at his hands and was relieved that the beast inside him didn't take over. He sighed in relief and began thinking about it.

'It was just a dream…' he said and attempted to go back to sleep with no avail.

* * *

_August 8th, Midgar, Shinra Headquarters, rooftop…_

After arriving in Midgar, Aqua and her team had debriefed with Director Lazard about what happened. Aqua explained what happened and made sure that she didn't give too much detail. That didn't do much as Shinra figured the location of her grandmother's manor. They knew, but couldn't attack as Radiant Garden was already in a bad relationship with the country.

Sadly, the events of four days ago served to start another war with Radiant Garden. Director Lazard was told that the president of Shinra was to meet with Ansem the Wise of Radiant Garden and the two would try to come up with a peaceful resolution. Sephiroth was ordered to protect the president, leaving Aqua, Zack, Tifa and Cloud without a commanding officer.

Also, Zack and Tifa couldn't find Angeal or Genesis in Qing. All that contributed to Aqua's stress. So, to relieve it, she stood on the rooftop and looked around the city.

The air of the upper plate of Midgar was rather polluted, but Aqua didn't pay attention. Instead, she looked up at the sky and started thinking. As she thought, the weather started behaving oddly again.

The winds picked up and clouds started blocking out the moonlight. A few rain droplets began to fall, indicating that Aqua was summoning a rainstorm. "Man, you really gotta control those emotions of yours," someone said.

Aqua turned around to see that Cloud had made it to the roof. He walked over to her and asked, "You okay?"

Aqua shook her head and said, "It's just…"

"Are you gonna dismiss that?" Cloud asked, seeing the storm clouds.

Aqua didn't hear him and Cloud sighed. "Well, I know you're stressed and all, but do you really gotta summon thunderstorms?"

"Oh…" Aqua said. She dismissed the clouds and the skies were clear again.

After the weather went back to normal, Cloud asked, "Zack was thinking about going to the movies tonight. Tifa's coming and that Aerith girl too. You comin'?"

Aqua said nothing and Cloud said, "We'll have popcorn."

The young woman was silent and Cloud immediately said, "And cake."

Still no response and Cloud said, "And sushi."

No response again and Cloud said, lying, "Tim Tebowie will be there…"

Aqua still said nothing and Cloud started getting annoyed. "Aqua…Aqua…Hello? You're spacing out. Come back down to Gaia," he said, waving his hand in her face.

That's when Aqua reacted. She grabbed his arm and threw him to the ground. When she saw that she did that, Aqua said, "Huh? Cloud…you were still here?"

'Odd…' Cloud thought.

"You don't remember talking to me?" Cloud asked.

"No…" Aqua said, unsure.

"That is because her blood is awakening, just as yours have, Fenrir," someone said.

"Who said that?" Cloud asked, pulling out his sword.

The two saw the woman with the red and white cloak appear. Her odd aura shocked Cloud and the woman noticed this. "Your memories have not fully returned, has it?" she asked Cloud.

"What…memories?" Cloud asked.

Seeing that Cloud was still holding his sword the woman said, "Please, put your weapon away. I will not harm you. I am only here to help."

Oddly trusting her, Cloud did and the woman resumed speaking. "I have come to you to help you," she said.

"How?" Aqua asked.

"To help awaken the sleeping blood and memories that rest within the hearts of l'Cie. They have slept for over several eons and it is now time that they awaken, lest the world is destroyed," the woman said.

"How can we trust you? You haven't given us your name or how you got here," Cloud said, rightfully suspicious again.

"That is for you to decide. You can either believe my words or you can go to your friends to the cinema," the woman said.

The two were silent and started thinking it over. After a bit, Cloud moved Aqua to the side and whispered, "So…if we don't go…?"

"Then I guess she'll let us go," Aqua whispered back.

"But what does she mean that the world'll get destroyed if we don't?" Cloud asked.

"I don't know. You can always ask," Aqua whispered.

Cloud was about to when the woman said, "There is a war coming and the deciding factor will be the l'Cie, or Specials as you all call them. They are currently various factions around the world vying for control of this world. One group, a group that calls themselves the Organization, believes that Specials are the true rulers of the world. They are more than willing to destroy any humes that get in their way so Specials can populate the world."

"The other group is the government you all work for. The wars they send you all to fight in are one of the methods of conquering the world. They aim to enslave all l'Cie like animals, only answering to the humes that are their masters."

"The last is a group that calls themselves the Oda Clan. They wish for all humes to be extinguished in the belief that the Creator will start anew with l'Cie," the woman explained.

Aqua and Cloud looked at her and the woman saw their faces of shock. "That is why I have come to you. The children of Giruvegan and the other l'Cie cities must be awakened. If not, the world will be destroyed," she said.

'If we don't go…then…we can get enslaved or worse…' Aqua thought.

Within moments, she said, "I'll go."

Cloud, with a bit of distrust, said, "Alright. I'll go."

The woman nodded and the three were transported to what looked like the city Aqua saw four days ago. This time, it looked like they were in a temple-like structure. "Where are we?" Cloud asked.

"You're in the Temple of Light, located in the lost city of Giruvegan," the woman said.

The Temple of Light was quite a dark place for its namesake. The floors were made of glowing crystals and emitted a greenish light. The walls were of stone and the place was windowless. There were many halls and countless rooms, making the place an easy place to become lost.

In the room where the three were located, there was an altar that had a floating green crystal above it. A floor sigil surrounded it and emitted a soft light. The woman stepped forward and said, "Eons ago, the children of Giruvegan came to this holy place. They would take the test of the crystal and be blessed with the awakening of their powers. A brand appeared on their bodies and that enabled them to become creatures of yore, what you all call 'summon spirits'. When they came of age, the children would then leave Giruvegan and go to places they were needed."

"After the destruction of the city…the l'Cie here vanished…But when the realm of Kingdom Hearts was opened, it was as if we Fal'Cie were given the chance to start anew…" the woman said.

"So, you think that because we're Specials…we're those 'children'?" Aqua asked.

"Tell me, have you ever had recurring dreams of events that felt like memories?" the woman asked.

Aqua said nothing and Cloud looked as if he was avoiding the subject. "I know you have, Cloud," the woman said.

Cloud looked at her and the woman said, "You have recently had a dream about a wolf being defeated by what looked like a demon. And you Aqua constantly have visions of a bird with many colored wings flying through the skies, storms following closely behind it. That is a sign that the blood within you is awakening and time is of the essence."

"Stand on the sigil over there," the woman said.

Aqua did, but Cloud did not. Sensing his distrust, the woman said, "This will help you realize your full potential."

"And if not?" Cloud asked.

"Then we will forget about all of this," the woman said.

Cloud headed to the altar and stood on the sigil with Aqua. The woman then chanted something and the two were engulfed in light. After being engulfed, they disappeared.

The woman took off her hood and said, "Be safe, my children…"

* * *

_Unknown location…_

Aqua and Cloud looked around and saw that they were floating high above the ruins of Giruvegan. "Where are we?" Aqua asked.

Cloud shrugged and a gust of wind blew past them. The two looked around and saw ethereal lights swirling in the heavens. The lights took form and Aqua saw that one was in the shape of a bird. The other was in the shape of a wolf.

The lights sped towards them and Aqua thought to run. When she tried, the light in the image of a bird hit her. The lupine-shaped light hit Cloud and the two collapsed. Within seconds, flashbacks of Giruvegan, their previous life there as well as many other things.

When they came too, Aqua remembered everything. She looked over at Cloud and said, "Fe…Fenrir?"

Cloud came to and saw Aqua. "Cloud's fine, Vali," he said.

"You can call me Aqua," Aqua said.

The image of the heavens disappeared and the two found themselves back in the temple. "You have awakened," the woman said.

Aqua looked at her and said, "Elder Asura."

Asura, who looked similar to Tifa, looked at the two and said, "The proof of your awakening is on your left arm, Cloud. Aqua, the brand is on your right."

The two looked and saw the marks that she spoke of. Aqua's was in the shape of a bird surrounded by lightning. Cloud's was that of a wolf standing in front of a full moon.

"Unlike before, these brands will only serve to enhance your powers. They will not allow you to turn into the beasts of yore, we believe. This is good as this will help you use your powers without the fear of unwanted transformations," Asura said.

"So…what are we supposed to do now?" Aqua asked.

"I want you to find the next one whose blood will awaken. They will be in Shinra, close to you," Asura said.

"That's it?" Cloud asked.

"That is all the information I know. We must part for now. Farewell," Asura said and the place was engulfed with light.

* * *

Aqua woke up to find that she was in her apartment in Midgar. Panting heavily, she said, "It was a dream. It was all a dream…"

Wondering if it really was a dream, Aqua checked her right arm. To her horror, the brand from the dream was on it. "What's this? How did this…?" she said, panicking.

Not believing it, Aqua closed her eyes and chanted, "It's all in my head! It's all in my head!"

"Aqua?" someone asked.

Aqua opened her eyes and looked over at the doorway. Tifa, also her roommate in the small apartment, looked at her and asked "What's wrong? You were talking in your sleep."

"Um…what time did I come home?" Aqua said.

"You came home at the same time I did. At 4:30 in the afternoon, after work," Tifa said.

'Then…what was…?' Aqua thought.

"What's wrong?" Tifa asked.

"Um…" Aqua said. She looked at her brand and asked Tifa about it.

"Uh…what brand? I don't see anything," Tifa said.

'Then I must be hallucinating,' Aqua said.

"Aqua, you must be seeing things. Try to go to sleep," Tifa said.

She then left and Aqua plopped back down on the bed. The young woman looked at her arm again and saw that the mark didn't disappear. "Why can't Tifa see it? Am I really losing it?" she said aloud.

'Maybe it...it really happened,' Aqua thought.


	11. Chapter Ten

_Well, to the guest reviewer, I haven't a clue who Scott Weskerfield is. I didn't do any plagiarism if you're insinuating that. And mind you, this is a fanfiction website. Everything on here is under the disclaimer of nothing is owned by us. So, really, check your facts first, okay? I've already placed a disclaimer on this story._

_-miano53_

* * *

"_Shadow Rippers can channel the darkness and use it to perform devastating attacks. They can become shadows at will, create dark corridors as well as other things. They are greatly feared by many the world over due to many acquiring the negative traits of the darkness, such as homicidal tendencies, god complexes, pessimism, etc."_

_-Encyclopedia Spiran, vol. 28_

Chapter Ten: Warning

_August 9th, Antonelli School of Special Arts, kitchen, 11:30 p.m.…_

Terra, who couldn't sleep, stood in front of an open refrigerator and tried to find something to eat. The young man couldn't sleep mostly due to a nightmare that he had. He couldn't shake the feeling of horror that he had and went to find something to keep his mind off of it. That something was making a sandwich.

After making the delicious sandwich of bacon, lettuce, tomatoes and mayo, Terra headed outside on the patio to eat. As he ate, he felt the presence of someone coming behind him. The presence was accompanied by the smell of peanut butter.

He smirked and said, "Ven, scaring me doesn't work, you know that."

Ven, who had woken up due to his being hyper, asked, "Aw. How did you know I was coming?"

"Well, you do smell a bit like peanut butter cups," Terra said, eating.

"You and Riku have a weird sense of smell…" Ven muttered.

"Hey, comes with the powers," Terra said.

"Yeah, you're kinda like a dog, like Vanitas said," Sora said.

Terra glared at him and saw that he was on the rooftop. "What are you doing up there?" he asked.

"I saw Vincent leave again," Sora said, landing on the patio.

Terra, knowing what was going on, fearfully said, "Let's go back inside."

"Why? I don't think he's here," Ven told him in doubt.

A roar was heard and Terra ordered, "Go inside."

Ven saw the silhouette of something flying in the air and quickly headed inside. Terra and Sora did the same and Terra locked the doors to the patio. He looked out the window and saw that Chaos was flying in the skies above the manor. The reddish aura that surrounded him was significantly darker than usual, worrying Terra.

'This'll be the 2nd time this week…' he thought.

"Terra, you gonna eat that?" Sora asked, eyeing Terra's sandwich.

Terra glared at him with his now amber eyes and scared the poor guy. "Nevermind…" Sora said.

"So…why are you guys up?" Terra asked, sitting down at the kitchen's island.

"I woke up because I heard growling sounds outside," Sora said.

"I woke up because I heard Sora break a vase," Ven admitted.

"I-I cleaned it up! Besides, that growling outside was freaky," Sora yelled.

Terra continued eating and the boys chatted away, oblivious to the fact that Chaos was outside, destroying more of the surrounding region. They then noticed when the creature hurled a half of a statue towards the kitchen window. Terra saw this and forced the boys to duck. They did and the window was completely smashed. The stone crashed into the front of the kitchen's island, destroying half of it.

Chaos flew through the window and he looked around for his "captors". Since Terra was fast enough, the boys weren't seen. They, instead, hid behind the half-destroyed island.

Terra motioned for them to stay silent and they did. They were able to hear that Chaos was listening for them, growling the whole time. Terra saw that the creature throw the plate with his poor BLT on it.

'Why? Why does he hate sandwiches?' he thought, saddened over the loss of his sandwich.

Chaos kept growling and started hovering in the air. He kept looking around, trying to find his "captors". Terra peeked behind the island and saw the creature.

The young man then motioned for Sora and Ven to fly out of the window and get Chaos out of the manor. "Why?" Ven asked, surprisingly loud.

Chaos heard them and Terra said, "Oh crap…"

The creature roared, waking up everyone in the manor. "Get out of here!" Terra yelled.

Ven and Sora flew out of the manor and Terra used a dark corridor to escape. Chaos, seeing Ven and Sora, flew out of the manor and chased them.

* * *

_Radiant Garden, 30 miles from the Antonelli School…_

Ven and Sora, flying away from Chaos, saw that Chaos had managed to catch up. "Oh crap! What the crap!" Ven screamed.

"OH CRAP!" Sora yelled.

Chaos slashed at Sora with his claws and missed as the teen dodged in midair. "Get away!" Ven yelled.

A gust of wind pushed the creature back. "Let's go!" Sora yelled.

The two then flew off at mach speeds, leaving Chaos behind. When he noticed that Sora and Ventus were gone, he roared and started slashing out at nothing. As he did that, Asura watched him from a distance.

"Chaos…your mind…it has been corrupted by darkness…And yet, I still sense a faint light within you…" Asura said.

Chaos suddenly stopped and started looking around as he heard her voice. He then looked down at where Asura was located and suddenly charged at her. He was about to deliver a fatal blow when he was suddenly entrapped in a sigil.

"You…the darkness you have let in your heart…It twisted and corrupted you, destroying your purpose. You are not that which the humes call you, a destroyer…a demon. You are more than that," Asura said to him.

Chaos slashed at her, only to be blocked by the sigil's shield. He growled and Asura continued.

"You crossed the boundary between our world and that of the shadows…all in the hope of finding that lost child," Asura said calmly.

The creature looked at her and was trembling with rage. "And now you wish to destroy all that you see, in the corrupted belief that no one should live because of Lakshmi's disappearance," Asura said.

Chaos roared loudly and a reddish aura came from him. Asura saw that the sigil she created disappeared. She shook her head and muttered, "And you will attempt to destroy me first…"

Chaos emerged from the aura and was in his Death Gigas form. The skin of the gigas was black in color and had blood red tattoos all over its body. Vincent's gauntlet was on it's left hand and was now shaped like a claw. A red and black colored axe was in it's right and a red and black kilt covered its legs. It looked at Asura and swung at her.

Asura quickly summoned a shield, deflecting the attack. She countered and summoned a bolt of lightning to hit the gigas. The gigas then started absorbing the lightning and redirected it, an ability called "Livewire."

The lightning headed for Asura and she quickly used another barrier to protect herself. The lightning when back up to the heavens and Asura summoned another sigil. The sigil entrapped the gigas and it started slashing at nothing.

"Chaos…not are you the 'Supressor of Disorder', your birthright. Now, are you a pawn of darkness. You must sleep, evermore 'til no more are you," Asura said, speaking in the ancient language of Giruvegan.

The gigas reverted back to Chaos's form and the creature slash at the sigil's walls. "N-not…again…" he managed to say.

"Sleep you must…You must vanish from the weave of hist'ry and to oblivion," Asura said.

Chaos roared loudly and charged for an attack again. Before he could, Asura chanted further in the language of Giruvegan and he started to feel his strength leaving him. "Sealed forevermore shall you be," Asura said.

Seconds later, Chaos was sealed…

* * *

_Radiant Garden, capital, 12 a.m…_

Terra reappeared in an empty park in Radiant Garden and he panted heavily. Unknowingly to most of the school, his powers had an undesired effect. At night, it gained strength, eating away at his well being if used for too long. It also affected his appearance, the reason for his odd colored eyes.

Thus was one of the many problems of Shadow Rippers. If their powers were used too often, the darkness they wielded could corrupt them beyond recognition. So, Terra (like Riku) treaded carefully with the wielding of his powers.

"Tired already?" someone asked.

Terra, knowing who it was, shot a dark fire blast at the voice. The blast was absorbed by a dark corridor and Terra scoffed. "Sometimes I find your progress quite striking. But you're still so blind," someone said.

"Show yourself!" Terra yelled.

A corridor of darkness appeared and Terra whined, "Oh no…Not you."

"Is that what you say to your father? Especially after all these years?" the hooded man said.

"Uh, yeah…You've gone crazy, just like Uncle, Grandpa and Cousin Xeh…" Terra said.

"Your mother only gave you a skewed view of what we're trying to accomplish," the man said, quickly interrupting him.

Terra glared at him and the man laughed. "Don't," Terra said, angered.

The man took off his hood and revealed his face that looked very similar to Terra's, but much older. His long, silver hair was down to his shoulders and was messy, similar to Terra's.

Terra's glare intensified and he asked, "Why are you here?"

The man was about to reply when Sora and Ventus arrived. The two saw the man and said, "Hey isn't that…?"

"Xemnas," Terra replied.

The man, Xemnas Dal Monte, was Terra's father. He, like his father Xehanort Dal Monte IV, believed that Specials were the true rulers of Gaia. Unlike his father, Xemnas exercised restraint, mostly to gain trust from normal humans….most of the time. Because of this, his ex-wife took Terra and brought him to the Antonelli's School, where he was protected by Maria Theresa's powers.

"Didn't the headmistress say to run if we see him?" Ven asked.

"Yeah, but…Chaos is back there," Sora said to him.

To the two's surprise, Terra charged at his father. He swung a punch filled with dark energy. Xemnas caught his arm and pinned his son to the ground with one arm.

"You're holding back," he said to Terra.

Terra, using his left arm, blasted him with a wave of dark energy. That released Terra from Xemnas's grip and he backed up. The young man then charged at his father again.

Xemnas smirked and released a large wave of energy. Terra was caught in it and so was Sora and Ventus. The three were sent flying back into trees and a nearby fountain.

"Ow…" was all Sora could say.

Ven looked and saw that Xemnas was walking over to Terra, who had crash landed into a fountain. Terra, recovering, saw this and started getting up.

"You're still holding back. Why not use that power inside you to defeat me?" Xemnas asked.

"You're just trying to make me like you," Terra said.

"And what's wrong with that?" Xemnas asked.

"You know what's wrong! You're crazy!" Terra yelled.

"It is crazy to make this world a better place for our kind?" Xemnas asked.

Terra was silent and Xemnas continued. "You will allow for the humans to enslave us?" he asked.

"No…but…what you're doing isn't right," Terra said.

"Terra, a war is coming. No matter what you do, it will come. The humans will be the first to draw blood. Now, the question is: who will you stand with?" Xemnas told him.

Before Terra could say anything, time suddenly stopped. Terra looked around and saw that Xemnas, Sora and Ventus were frozen. The skies were orange and Terra thought that the woman from before was going to appear.

Instead, an older man wearing the same garb as the mysterious woman with an odd aura appeared. Terra became defensive and the man said an odd language he could understand, "Be not afraid, child of Giruvegan."

Terra was calmed and the man continued. "L'Cie of the Earth, Hasmal, to you I have come to awaken," the man said.

"What?" Terra said. He then felt a surge of energy and collapsed to the ground.

"The blood of l'Cie wakes within you," the man said.

Before Terra could say anything, he was transported to the place Aqua and Cloud went to with Asura, the Temple of Light. Terra was near the altar and the man said, "In ages long passed away, their marks here the l'Cie received here. Those marks gave them incredible power. To do the Goddess's Will, it enabled."

"Huh? What are you talking about? I'm not…" Terra said.

"Terra Dal Monte you are, a l'Cie of both Earth and Darkness. Watched over you have we for eons, guiding each of your incarnations throughout hist'ry paths. In sleep, we guided. Now we wake, to find the children of Giruvegan and saving them for the hume's war to come," the man said.

'Dad…was right?' Terra thought.

"Know about the war, your family does. The l'Cie are the true rulers of Gaia, they believe. On what the role l'Cie have, they haven't an inkling. Against the humes will the war bring about the destruction of Gaia," the man said.

"So, why am I here?" Terra asked.

"You are the reincarnation of Hashmal, as I have said. The role lost from your mem'ry is that of protector. Protect the humes, you must, but your blood needs wakening. Walk to the altar of the cryst and the wakening you will experience," the man said.

"Why would I do that? I don't know who you are and trusting you is at the bottom of my list," Terra said.

The man was silent and nodded his head. "Sorry for my haste. Ramuh, I am called," the man said, taking off his hood.

Terra saw that Ramuh was a bald old man that had a long beard. His eyes were colored a light blue, as if lightning was held there. Ramuh looked at Terra and Terra could've sworn he met him before.

"My acquaintance you've made eons ago. Your mem'ry wakens. Your power must waken. At the altar of the cryst, stand and your power will waken," Ramuh told him.

Terra, now trusting him, headed for the altar. There, the crystal began glowing brightly and it engulfed Terra. Before he was completely engulfed, Ramuh said, "Waken, O Child of Giruvegan."

* * *

Terra woke up to find that he was in his room. His messy room looked the same and there was nothing missing. "What happened? Was that a dream?" Terra asked himself.

A knock was at the door and Terra got out of bed to open it. Riku, one of the younger students, stood at the door and asked, "Hey, you up?"

"Uh…yeah," Terra said.

"Everyone's in the library," Riku said and left.

'Wonder why everyone's there,' Terra thought.

He headed into the bathroom and started preparing for the day. When he looked in the mirror, he saw something odd on his back. There was a tattoo in the shape of a warrior on his back and all Terra could think was, 'It wasn't a dream…'

After cleaning himself up and changing clothes, Terra headed for the library. There, he found all of the older students and teachers sitting down. "Ah, Terra, come in," Maria Theresa said.

Terra did and asked, "What's wrong?"

"Vincent Valentine…He's missing," Maria Theresa said.

"Maybe it was for the best if he had left. He can't control his powers," Cecil said.

"The whole point of this school is to teach our children how to use their powers," Maria Theresa said.

"But he's not…" another teacher said.

"Even so, we need to help teach all Specials to use their powers for the good of mankind," Maria Theresa said.

"Well, he did manage to destroy the kitchen window," Ven said.

"And the courtyards," Riku added.

"And parts of the road that leads to here," Roxas added.

"And the labs," Reno said.

"And…man Chaos likes destroying stuff," Axel said.

"Well, that's what his name means…'disorder'," Riku told him.

"Well, I can't sense him anywhere. I've even tried using technology to find him…nothing…" Maria Theresa said.

"Where ever he is, Vincent will be fine," another one of the teachers said.

Maria Theresa nodded and said, "That is just one of our problems. According to Sora and Ventus, the Organization has shown themselves in Radiant Garden. They spoke with Terra about a war coming and this has greatly troubled me. So, you all will now train in the training room three times a week instead of two. We need to be ready for anything."

'So…what happened really wasn't a dream…' Terra thought.

After the meeting, everyone was dismissed. Before Terra could leave, the headmistress stopped him. "What's wrong?" Terra asked her.

"A man named Ramuh found you, correct?" Maria Theresa asked.

"Huh, how did you know?" Terra asked.

"I sensed it. And…you've been awakened, haven't you, Hashmal?" Maria Theresa said.

Terra immediately remembered thing about Giruvegan and said, "Lady Phoenix?"

Maria Theresa nodded and he asked, "But you didn't…"

"I did earlier, much earlier. I was awakened when I got into that car crash 25 years ago. Ramuh helped me," Maria Theresa said.

"So…why now? Ramuh said something about watching our incarnations as the Fal'Cie slept," Terra said.

"Well, the war your father mentioned is indeed coming. I had a dream about it….It was horrible…" Maria Theresa said.

"So, we need all the help we can get?" Terra asked.

Maria Theresa nodded and said, "But there are many here in this school that will need awakening as well. But…"

Terra saw her smile and said, "Find Aqua…Try to convince her to come back here."

"She's not going to like it," Terra said.

"Well, just try," Maria Theresa said.

Terra headed back to his room and Maria Theresa thought, 'I hope we can avert this…And, where are you Vincent?'

* * *

_Unknown…_

Vincent woke up to find himself in a jail cell. Shocked, he looked around and didn't see anyone else in the area. He checked the cell door and saw that there was no keyhole. The bars were made of a substance that was very different from the typical metals found on Gaia.

"Where am I?" he said aloud.

He received no answer. Due to a crippling fear of being caged (courtesy of Chaos), Vincent started attempting to open the cell door. He tried shooting at it, using brute force and even attempting to pry the door open. Nothing worked.

Within moments, he collapsed, feeling the events of transformation. Before he could black out, he heard a loud roar and someone saying, "This is punishment for your past sins…"

* * *

_So, there's chappie number ten. And Hashmal is one of the summons in Final Fantasy XII._


	12. Chapter Eleven

"_The precursor to the Specials program was quite the greatest feats in Shinra history. The scientists of Shinra went about and "collected" Specials to see if they could work together on a common goal. It is said that some of the scientists' children were also a part of the program and were there since birth. From what I've heard, one of the scientists working on the program was also a Special…But that's just a rumor. Let's turn to page 85, everyone."_

_-a professor at Midgar University_

Chapter Eleven: Past Mistakes

_32 years ago, Shinra manor…_

_The 20 year old Lucrecia Crescent stepped out of a Shinra government car and saw the manor used by Shinra scientist to conduct experiments. She, being an intern for Dr. Grimoire Valentine, was amazed and very excited to work. Lucrecia entered the mansion and was greeted by her mentor. _

"_Hello, Lucrecia. I see that you arrived safely," Dr. Grimoire Valentine said, greeting her._

"_I'm very glad to be here," Lucrecia told him._

_Dr. Grimoire led her to the lab and she met Dr. Hojo (age 31). Hojo looked at her and was unimpressed. "This is the new intern? She doesn't look like much," Hojo said, quite disappointed._

"_She was at the top of her class and her I.Q. is 185. If I didn't know better, I would've thought she was a telepathic Special," Dr. Grimoire said._

_Hojo looked at Lucrecia and said nothing. "I hope that I exceed your expectations," Lucrecia said._

_Hojo walked off in a huff and Dr. Grimoire said, "Don't mind him. You're my intern, not his."_

_After meeting several other scientists, Lucrecia was led into Dr. Grimoire's lab. She saw that she had her own computer, desk, and workspace. Dr. Grimoire left when he saw her smiling face. _

_Once he was gone, Lucrecia called her parents on her PHS and said, "Mom? Um…I'm at the manor. Yes. I just met Dr. Valentine. He seems nice. Yes, I know, but…I'll send it later. 'Bye."_

"_Lucrecia Crescent?" someone asked, coming in the lab._

_Lucrecia hung up her PHS and looked up. A young man of 25 years stood at the doorway. He wore the uniform of the Turks and he looked a lot like a younger Dr. Valentine. _

_"Who are you?" Lucrecia asked._

"_Vincent Valentine, reporting for duty, ma'am. I've been assigned your protection," the young man said._

"_You're Dr. Valentine's son? Why would they send…?" Lucrecia asked, muttering._

"_Excuse me?" Vincent asked, not hearing her._

"_I'm sorry. This is the first time I've ever met someone from the Turks. I'm Dr. Valentine's intern, Lucrecia Crescent. Please to make your acquaintance, Mr. Valentine," Lucrecia said._

_Dr. Grimoire, after hearing his son had come in, walked into the lab and said, "Ah, you've met my son. I hope that you two get along well."_

* * *

Lucrecia woke up with a start and looked around her bedroom. She was in a cold sweat and was terrified. Feeling guilty about what happened 31 years ago, she sobbed, "I'm sorry…I shouldn't have been so cold…And, I should've never…did that to you…And…I'm so sorry."

She kept sobbing and felt no relief.

* * *

_August 12th, 9 a.m., medical lab…_

Aqua, who had come in the medical for a medical evaluation, sat in a chair and waited for Dr. Crescent to come in. She waited for twenty minutes and said to herself, "What's taking her so long?"

The young storm rider waited another ten minutes and immediately gave up. She got up out of her seat and started headed for Dr. Crescent's office. There, she saw that the woman was looking at something.

"Dr. Crescent…?" Aqua asked.

Dr. Lucrecia looked up and asked in startled tones, "Oh…Um…Aqua, what are you doing in here?"

"Um…I had a checkup scheduled for today…" Aqua replied.

"Oh. I-I'm sorry. I'll be there in a minute," Dr. Lucrecia said, now flustered.

Aqua then left the room and waited in the place Dr. Crescent was supposed to meet her. After another twenty minutes, Dr. Crescent came in. She was looking over Aqua's vitals with a medical chart and said, "Well, you learned a new ability."

"I learned to fly," Aqua told her.

Dr. Lucrecia smiled and asked, "Where did you learn?"

Not wanting to tell her about what happened at her Nana's manor, Aqua replied, "Um…practice."

"Well, your vitals are normal and you've gotten stronger in your abilities. I guess it's justified that you're classified as a Category 5," Dr. Lucrecia said.

Aqua smiled and Dr. Crescent gave her a clean bill of health. "We'll just have to evaluate your psyche on tomorrow," Dr. Crescent said.

"Alright," Aqua said and left.

When she left, Dr. Crescent started putting up the files on her. When she did, she accidentally cut her finger. Lucrecia winced and saw that the wound on her index finger healed. Not pay it any attention, as she knew what she was, Lucrecia left the office.

* * *

_Later, 11:30 a.m., rooftop…_

Aqua, who had noticed it was sunny out, headed to the rooftop to enjoy her lunch and the sunshine. As she ate her homemade peach pie, courtesy of Tifa, Aqua was relaxed. Until, that is, she looked at her right arm.

'So, was it a dream? Because, no one else can see it,' Aqua thought.

"Aqua, why're you up here?" Cloud asked, coming onto the roof.

Aqua saw him and said, "F…Cloud…"

She then saw the brand on his left arm and thought, 'No way…It wasn't a dream?'

"You can see it too?" Cloud asked.

Aqua nodded and Cloud said, "So, it wasn't a dream…I guess only we can see it…"

"Yeah, but why…?" Aqua asked.

"According to that lady, we're l'Cie…awakened l'Cie," Cloud told her.

"So…we gotta stop that war then…but how? It's only the two of us…unless…" Aqua said.

She then remembered what Asura told them. 'It could be Tifa or Zack…or maybe even Sephiroth…but he's out of town,' she thought.

"I was thinkin' Tifa or Zack could be l'Cie," Cloud muttered.

"Well, Asura did say that all Specials are l'Cie, so it could be anyone…This is hard…" Aqua said, rubbing her temple in frustration.

The two kept thinking and immediately became tired after ten minutes. Wanting to fly, Aqua had an idea. She flew up and grabbed Cloud.

"Wh-What are you doing?" Cloud yelled.

"We're going to fly around town, see the sights," Aqua said.

"You know I have motion sickness!" Cloud yelled.

"It's not that bad," Aqua said.

"Yes it is! Any kind of fast or jerking motions…kinda…gets me sick…I thought…it got better…but…" Cloud said, face turning green.

Aqua landed and Cloud rushed off. The sound of throwing up was heard and Aqua said, "It's okay. I'll go by myself."

Cloud waved a hand and started throwing up…again. Aqua shook her head and flew off.

In the skies above Midgar, Aqua flew up to the heavens and saw the tops of the clouds. The winds were calm and didn't stir from the Storm Rider's presence. The sun was shining brightly and Aqua felt relief in the peaceful area.

"I never knew flying could be so much fun," she exclaimed.

She flew around the clouds, shaping the clouds into things like hearts, flowers and even a few animal shapes. After making the clouds into different shapes, Aqua was amazed.

"I didn't know I could do that," Aqua said.

"I didn't know either," someone said.

Aqua looked around and saw a man with…four white angel wings. When she saw him come closer, she was shocked.

"Angeal?" Aqua asked, shocked.

Angeal, who had managed to get back to Shinra, was flying with four wings that included two large and two small wings that protruded from his back. He saw Aqua's face and said, "Missed me?"

"Y-yeah. Where were you?" Aqua asked.

"I was put on another assignment…a secret assignment if you will. I'm gathering info for Shinra about Dr. Hollander…and trying to get Genesis to come back," Angeal said.

"So, I get you weren't successful," Aqua said.

Angeal shook his head and Aqua saw something on his left forearm. There was a brand on it and she muttered, "L'Cie…"

"Huh? You say something?" Angeal asked.

"Um…Did you meet with a lady named…?" Aqua asked.

"Asura? Yes," Angeal said.

'So, were you the one I was supposed to look for?' Aqua thought.

"She told me that you and Cloud were awakened, but there were at least three others that needed it," Angeal told her.

"Oh…So, it could be anyone…" Aqua said.

"Seems that way," Angeal said.

After thinking for a bit, the two didn't come up with any ideas on whom the three might be. "Well, I could always guess and check," Aqua said.

Angeal heard her and said in the language of the l'Cie, "Just be careful…Supposedly, awakened l'Cie can speak the old language. But don't speak it to everyone…Hojo and the others may get suspicious."

"Huh? Why?" Aqua asked.

"I don't want you to get experimented on again. And Hojo's been looking for Giruvegan for years. He believes the Ancients lived there," Angeal replied, reverting back to the modern language.

"Well, they kinda did…" Aqua muttered.

"I have to go. Genesis will get suspicious if I don't go back. And…Here," Angeal said.

He gave Aqua a CD and told her to give it to Director Lazard. Before he could leave, Aqua told him in the old language, "Come back safely."

Angeal nodded and flew off. Aqua looked at the CD and said, "Well, Angeal's fine. I should tell the others."

Aqua flew back to Shinra headquarters. When she arrived and gave the CD to Director Lazard, her group was relieved that their former C.O. was fine. They were confused, however, as to why he was assigned to be a double agent.

* * *

_Doctor Lucrecia Crescent's home, 3 p.m.…_

Lucrecia, who had come home early, sat down on her couch, looking at an old picture. It was of her presumed deceased friend, Vincent Valentine, when he was a Turk. When she was married to Dr. Hojo, she put the picture away so the man wouldn't suspect she had feelings for her old friend.

"Vincent…I'm so sorry…" Lucrecia said, nearly sobbing again.

'That man…those many days ago…He knew me…Who was he?' she thought.

"If you knew who he was…would you still see him?" someone asked in a foreign language.

"Of course…I…I have to apologize for what I did to him," Lucrecia said.

When she realized that the voice was unknown, Lucrecia looked around and saw a person wearing a red and white cloak standing in the corner of her living room. The figure was silent and stared at Lucrecia as if she was familiar.

"Who are you? I'll call the police!" Lucrecia yelled.

The person lifted a hand at her as if to say that she needs to be quiet. "There is no need," the person said in the universal modern language.

"Why not?" Lucrecia asked, holding up a lamp to defend herself.

"The man that you know…you are willing to see him again?" the person asked.

Lucrecia, knowing they were talking about Vincent, nodded. "You are sure?" the person asked, speaking in the old language.

To her surprise, Lucrecia spoke in the foreign language fluently and said, "Yes I'm sure."

The person took off their hood and Lucrecia muttered, "Elder…Asura…"

Asura, who had come to Midgar as she sensed Lucrecia's awakened via Aqua, said in the language of Giruvegan, "You are starting to remember. Your power is awakening."

"I don't have any powers," Lucrecia said.

"Don't deny. You've noticed since you were fifteen that your body can heal at an accelerated rate than anyone else. You've also noticed that you can heal via touch, breath and even by a thought. You can also harm using your tele-empathy. When you checked the databases when you were 23 years old, you found out Specials like that are categorized as Category 4 Specials," Asura explained.

Lucrecia, knowing it was the truth, said nothing.

"And you've managed to place a device on your left wrist to prevent anyone from discovering your abilities. But…your being a Special explains why your son, Sephiroth, is a Special. Hojo isn't one, but he is fascinated by our kind," Asura added.

Lucrecia still said nothing and Asura continued. "You were also shocked and amazed that your friend, Valentine, was a Special…A Category 2 at the time as he had the marksman ability. He could shoot faraway objects without fail. But when he objected to the experiments done by Hojo on l'Cie, he suddenly was shot and experimented on."

"You found out about the experiments and saw that your former husband left him for dead. So, you took him and attempted to heal him. You failed and resorted in using something that you only wanted to use for experiments," Asura said.

"Those crystals…" Lucrecia whispered.

"Yes…The crystal shards you gathered with Dr. Grimoire Valentine at the crystal caves south of Nibelheim…They contained a power that you thought came from the creature humes called Chaos. In a desperate attempt to save your friend, you had the crystals grounded up into a powder and mixed it with liquids. You injected the concoction into your friend and saw that he did heal from his wounds," Asura said.

Lucrecia's face went into one of sadness and Asura continued.

"The experiment that you performed on him turned him into the creature that you were researching for your thesis. He lashed out; fighting to free himself from the chamber you placed him in. That frightened you, to the point where you blamed yourself for what happened," Asura told her.

"I was my fault…I left him to die after Shinra ordered us to leave the mansion. I left him behind…like a wild animal," Lucrecia said, now in tears.

"Yes, but there is a way to redeem yourself," Asura said.

"It is?" Lucrecia asked.

"Yes. Come with me," Asura said, holding out her hand.

Without any suspicion, Lucrecia quickly took Asura's hand and disappeared in a blinding flash of light.

* * *

_Midgar, Sector 8, 5 p.m.…_

Terra, who arrived in Shinra via dark corridor, began walking around the more affluent area of Midgar called Sector 8. Supposedly Shinra Specials lived in the area and he was on a mission to find Aqua. As he walked, he noticed that no one paid any attention to him.

"I guess this must be the evening rush home," Terra muttered.

He stopped when he crossed over to LOVELESS Avenue. Realizing that he was lost, Terra decided to head back to Sector 8. Before he could, he was ambushed by a spiky, blonde haired man.

'Oh no…' he thought.

Time suddenly seemed to stop and the man attacked. He swung a punch at him and Terra dodged. The man then performed a roundhouse kick. Terra blocked the attack and threw the man into a series of trashcans. The man crashed into the trashcans and Terra saw that there was something familiar about him.

"Isn't your name…Cloud?" Terra asked.

Cloud, who apparently had sensed Terra's presence in Midgar, got up and said something in the old language of Giruvegan. Terra looked at him and said, "You…?"

"Man, you still fight like how you used to," Cloud said in a bit of pain, still speaking in the old language.

"Fenrir…" Terra muttered, also speaking in that language.

"Why are you here?" Cloud asked.

"Um…Well, I'm looking for…" Terra said.

"Aqua, right?" Cloud asked.

"Yeah…but how did you know…?" Terra asked.

"She doesn't live here. She lives in Sector 8, near the Shinra building," Cloud said.

Time suddenly resumed and Cloud said in back in the modern language, "Follow me." Terra did.

* * *

_The next morning, Dr. Lucrecia Crescent's home…_

After waking up from a very vivid dream on where she met a woman who told her that she could repent of her past mistakes, Lucrecia woke up to find that she was in her bed. "When did I get here?" she asked.

The woman looked over at the clock and was shocked. It was 9 a.m. Knowing she was late for work, Lucrecia jumped out of bed and, sadly, fell out of bed.

"Ow…" she muttered.

Her PHS started ringing and she quickly picked up. "I heard that you haven't reported in," Sephiroth said over the phone.

"I…I overslept," Lucrecia told her son.

"Well, just report in. My subordinates are worried," Sephiroth said.

Lucrecia promised to report in and Sephiroth hung up. "I can't believe I overslept," she said.

She started getting herself ready for work and after she was done, she began rushing out of the house. When she unlocked the door, Lucrecia saw something on the back of her right forearm. There was a brand and she asked, "Where did that come from?"

Lucrecia then remembered what happened the previous day. "It wasn't a dream then…" she muttered.


	13. Chapter Twelve

"_Specials are drawn to each other like flies to honey. They can sense whenever one is near as if there is a magnetic field around each of them. If one is isolated from other Specials…the effects are…well, quite devastating. They start losing control of themselves and their powers, like a caged animal. How I know this? I performed an experiment with Sephiroth. Isolating him from Genesis and Angeal in a cell was…not a good idea. What? Flies aren't attracted to honey? Bees are? And I have no idea what I'm talking about? You son of a…! You have the unmitigated gall to speak to me like that?"_

_-Dr. Hojo to a group of students at Midgar University_

Chapter Twelve: Decisions

_Unknown area…_

Chaos, who had spent several days hacking and slashing at the bars that held him, suddenly stopped with his rampage. He looked around, hearing something in the windowless room. Someone appeared in front of the cell and was standing in a corner.

An aura of orange surrounded her and she looked like Maria Theresa. But, there was something off. She wore much more makeup than her and clothes of black and orange covered her. She looked at Chaos with a smirk and asked, "You want out?"

Chaos stared at her and started studying her. "Well, you've managed to lose it. I guess I could free you…" the woman said.

Chaos growled and started slashing at the bars. "I can let you out, but…you have to do something for me," the woman told him.

The creature looked at her intently and the woman walked over to the cell door. She waved her hand over it and the cell bars and door disappeared. Chaos saw that he was free and looked over at the woman. Thinking that she was the one who trapped him, he attacked.

"No you don't," the woman yelled.

Just like Maria Theresa, the woman used telekinesis to stop Chaos in midair. "Stop that. I helped you. If you want to find the one that trapped you here, you need my help. Killing me won't help you escape this realm," she said.

Chaos, not wanting her help, suddenly charged a massive amount of dark energy. He quickly released it in a wave of darkness, forcing the woman to release her telekinetic grip on him. The wave also managed to destroy the room they were in. The place shattered like glass and revealed the sky. With a roar, Chaos flew off.

The woman got up and saw that Chaos was gone. "You won't be getting far. No one has yet to escape the Void. Unless…Hmm," the woman muttered.

Remembering something, the woman smirked and said, "It won't be long until the reunion with Maria."

* * *

_August 15th, Shinra Headquarters, 10 a.m.…_

Dr. Lucrecia, after coming into her office, saw that Dr. Hojo was in her office. Since they divorce on…not so good terms, Dr. Lucrecia wasn't happy to see him. "What are you doing in my office?" she asked him.

"I came to see your progress in dealing with the Specials," Dr. Hojo said.

"Please get out," Dr. Lucrecia ordered.

"And what's this? It seems that Strife refuses to take the medicine you gave him," Dr. Hojo said, holding some files.

"How did you get that?" Dr. Lucrecia asked.

"I am the head of the Science Department and that includes the medical department as well," Hojo said.

Lucrecia, now angered, slipped off her bracelet and yelled, "Give me those files and get out."

Due to her tele-empathy, Hojo started seeing a shadow looming towards him. That scared him and Hojo put the files on Lucrecia's desk. He then ran off, yelling, "Keep that thing away from me!"

Once he was gone, Lucrecia opened the files and saw that it was indeed Cloud Strife's files. She started looking through it, making sure that nothing was missing. To her relief, nothing was missing.

"I only took him off, because…" Dr. Lucrecia muttered.

"Dr. Lucrecia?" someone said.

Lucrecia turned around to see Cloud standing in the doorway. She saw a faint aura and thought, 'So that's why you refuse to take it…Lord Fenrir.'

"Why did Hojo run out of here screamin'?" Cloud asked.

Lucrecia said in the old language, "Well, you should know."

Cloud looked at her and saw a faint aura as well. "Lady Lakshmi…" he muttered.

Lucrecia nodded and Cloud asked in the modern language, "Did you…meet with a lady named…?"

"Asura? Yes. She said I can help an old friend of mine," Lucrecia said.

"Oh…So, Hojo was in here because…?" Cloud asked.

"I don't know, but he had your files…" Lucrecia said.

'Then I gotta be careful,' Cloud thought.

"I think he was here because he wanted to know why I took a Special off their medication," Lucrecia said.

"So…Did you tell him why?" Cloud asked.

"No. But I believe I know why you started having negative reactions to it. It interfered with the development of your powers and nearly kept you in a permanent berserk status. So, I took you off," Lucrecia explained.

"Thanks," Cloud said.

He was about to leave when Lucrecia asked, "Aqua has the day off, correct?"

Cloud nodded and Lucrecia allowed him to leave. She then looked out the window and saw that the skies were sunny. 'Odd, it was supposed to rain today. Wonder if Aqua has anything to do with this,' she thought.

* * *

_Tifa and Aqua's apartment, Sector 8, 11:30 a.m.…_

Aqua and Tifa, who were given the day off, looked at their guest, Terra, and saw that he was eating rather voraciously. Terra had stayed in Zack and Cloud's apartment during his stay in Midgar and the four didn't know why Terra had come to Midgar. So, after introductions and taking tours around the capital, Aqua wanted to know why Terra was in Midgar.

"Terra, why are you really in Midgar?" she asked him.

Terra, who had stuff some chips into his mouth, looked at Aqua and attempted to say something. Within seconds, he started choking. Tifa gave him a glass of water and said, "Don't talk with your mouth full."

The young man drunk the contents and said to Aqua in the old language, "I was looking for you."

Tifa, to everyone's surprise, understood him. "What do you mean, you were looking for her?" she asked.

Terra and Aqua looked at her and Aqua muttered, "I knew it."

"You understood me?" Terra asked.

Tifa nodded and Aqua asked, "Did you…?"

"Did I what?" Tifa asked.

"Never…" Aqua said. A blinding light suddenly engulfed the apartment and the three saw that Asura had appeared.

"Well done. You've found another awakened l'Cie," she said, smiling.

"Who are you?" Tifa asked, not trusting the newcomer.

"We've not the time for that," Asura said.

Terra rolled his eyes and explained, "That's Asura. She's not a bad guy. She helps Specials with their powers."

"You sure?" Tifa asked.

"Time is of the essence. The war draws nearer as we speak," Asura said.

"War?" Tifa asked, now very confused.

Aqua, knowing what was going on, said, "We'll explain on the way."

Sensing that Tifa still distrusted her, Asura said, "Tifa Lockhart, you are 20 years old and hail from the small mountain town of Nibelheim. Cloud Strife was your neighbor and you discovered your powers after a monster attacked you during one of your explorations of Mt. Nibel."

"How do you know…?" Tifa asked.

"We, the Fal'Cie have been watching you, just as we have with Terra and Aqua. There is a war coming with the humes and it will decide the fate of this planet. We need your help and for you to help us, your memory must awaken," Asura said.

"You're speaking if I got amnesia," Tifa said.

"Well, you kinda do…" Aqua muttered.

"What?" Tifa said.

Still sensing Tifa's distrust, Asura said, "If this war isn't averted, the destruction will be worse than Nibelheim's."

That struck a chord. Tifa, now saddened, said, "Alright. I'll help."

"Good. Come with me," Asura said.

Tifa got up and started walking over to Asura. Terra and Aqua was about to follow when Asura told them, "No. There is no need for you to follow."

The two then disappeared, leaving Terra and Aqua in the apartment. "So, what now?" Terra asked.

"Well, she did say to me that there is a third person here awaiting awakening. But first, why are you really here, Terra?" Aqua asked.

Terra looked at her and said, "Your grandma told me to come here. She wanted you to come back."

"You know I can't. I can't just leave," Aqua said.

"Have you ever tried?" Terra asked.

Aqua was silent and Terra told her, "Just try. If you feel differently, then I'll be waiting."

He got up from the table and started walking to where Tifa and Asura disappeared. Before he could go, Aqua stopped him.

"What?" he asked.

Aqua gave him a star-shaped charm and Terra said, "Thanks."

"I just copied it from the one you gave me," Aqua said.

Terra smiled and used a dark corridor to leave Midgar. Once he was gone, Aqua said, "I don't know…I'll try."

* * *

_Two days later, August 17th, Kingdom of Qing, countryside factory…_

With Sephiroth, Aqua, Cloud, Zack and Tifa headed to Qing as they had heard that Genesis was sighted. Their orders were to capture him and bring him back to Shinra. They five headed inside of a factory and Sephiroth ordered for the group to split up.

Aqua walked with Zack and the two looked around the factory. The two headed for the second floor and saw that the place was filled with Qing machinery. Zack, noticing something on Aqua's right arm, asked, "A brand?"

"Yeah…Wait, you can see it?" Aqua asked.

"Yeah, 'cause I got one two," Zack said, showing his brand on his left shoulder.

"Oh…Asura found you?" Aqua asked.

"No. It was a guy named Ramuh," Zack said.

"Oh. Him? Why him?" Aqua asked.

Zack shrugged his shoulders and the two heard voices coming from behind them. "Hide," Zack said.

Aqua nodded and the two hid behind some of the machines. To their surprise, Genesis had walked in with Dr. Hollander. "Genesis, I can't reverse your current mutation…" Hollander said to him.

Aqua and Zack saw that Genesis had large black wings. The Category 4 Special sighed, "Then you don't have my help anymore."

"But! You said that you would help me enact revenge," Hollander yelled.

"Yes, unless you held up your end of the bargain," Genesis told him.

'Genesis worked for Hollander so he could get rid of his powers?' Aqua thought.

Hollander, angered, left and Genesis shook his head. He then smirked and said, "Well, I see that Bluebird and the Puppy are here."

'How did he know…?' Aqua thought.

Zack came out of hiding and said, "Genesis…"

"Calm down, Zack the Puppy. I'm not going to attack," Genesis said.

Aqua came out of her hiding place and saw Genesis opening up a book entitled "LOVELESS". Genesis started reading, much to Zack and Aqua's dismay.

In the old language, Genesis read, "_When the war of the beasts brings the world's end, the Goddess descends from the sky. Wings of Light and Dark spread afar, She guides us to bliss, Her gift everlasting._"

Seeing Zack and Aqua's shocked faces, Genesis continued in the old language, "Yes, I know about the war that's coming. Unlike you, I rather stay on the winning side."

"So, siding with Hollander is the winning side?" someone asked.

The voice was too familiar and everyone looked at the doorway. Sephiroth had entered and apparently he understood Genesis.

'Wait…Sephiroth understood him?' Aqua thought.

In the modern language, Genesis said, still reciting the poem, "_There is no hate, only joy, for you are beloved by the Goddess. Hero of the Dawn, healer of…_"

"Can you please stop reciting LOVELESS and tell us what's going on!" Zack yelled.

Genesis put up the book and said, "Well, there's a war coming and Shinra won't last when the war starts."

"We're already at war," Sephiroth said.

"But the war that is coming will be far worse. The norms will attempt to massacre us, all to save themselves from destruction. So, are you going to keep working for Shinra until they decide to massacre us all or will you leave?" Genesis asked.

Before anyone could say anything, someone shot a fireball at Genesis. Genesis took that as his cue to leave and he flew off. The three saw that the Qing found them.

"Aqua!" Sephiroth yelled.

Aqua summoned a mist to blind the Qing soldiers and the three Specials ran off. Once they were away from the factory, Tifa called them and said that Cloud and she had captured Dr. Hollander. Sephiroth gave the order for them to go back to Midgar and they did.

* * *

_August 18th, Midgar, Tifa and Aqua's apartment, 1:45 am…_

Aqua, finally making a decision on what to do, started packing clothes and hoped that Tifa wouldn't hear her. Genesis's words affected her and Aqua didn't want to stay in Midgar any longer.

'I know this'll hurt the others, but I have to go…I still have family left and she needs me,' Aqua thought.

"What are you doing?" someone asked.

Aqua shot a bolt of lightning at the person and the person swiftly dodged out of the way. Aqua immediately realized it was Tifa she shot at. But, for some reason, Tifa was wearing clothes for traveling.

"You could've said you were leaving too," Tifa said.

"You've decided to leave?" Aqua asked.

"Yeah. What Asura said…scared me. We can't have another Nibelheim…So, we have to find people that want to stop the war. Shinra wants it, that's why they keep sending us out to those missions. And…we can't have another holocaust…Not after the last one," Tifa told her, remembering the holocaust of Specials that happened 50 years ago.

Seeing that Tifa was carrying a bag, Aqua said, "I guess you're ready."

Tifa nodded and the two left the room. They were about to leave the apartment when a dark corridor appeared in the living room. They saw Terra step out of it, but he was accompanied by several other people.

"Terra? What are you doing here?" Aqua asked.

"Your grandma said that you guys were going to leave. So, we're here to move your stuff…most of it anyway," Terra said.

Tifa looked at the others that came and asked, "And who are they?"

"I'm Ven! Ventus Solari!" Ventus answered.

"I'm Roxas Solari. That's Sora and Vanitas Masumoto. And that's Reno and Axel Velazquez," Roxas said, introducing everyone.

"Okay, well…You can take everything out of the fridge," Aqua said.

The boys headed for the kitchen and started taking the food out. They then carried it through the corridor and came back after they were finished. They also carried the clothes and other items the women wanted to bring. After they were finished, only the essentials were left.

The boys went through the corridor and Tifa followed behind them. Aqua looked around and Terra asked, "You okay?"

"Yeah. Let's go," Aqua said.

The two walked through the corridor and it closed. Once Cloud and Zack had come to check on them, they saw that the apartment was empty, save for the furniture and appliances.


	14. Chapter Thirteen

"_The Antonelli's School of Special Arts specializes in many things such as Science, Mathematics, Language Arts, etc. They also specialize in teaching young Specials how to use their powers for the good of our kingdom. The school houses about 700 rooms and can hold up to 600 students every semester. There are about 25 teachers and the headmistress teaches the students. Graduation time for students usually mean that they become teachers in their own right or they leave the facility and work with the government."_

_-Radiant Garden Free Press, Vol. 1202_

Chapter Thirteen: New Home

_Unknown…_

Chaos flew in the skies and saw that nothing looked familiar. He growled with annoyance and saw that he kept flying over a forested region. The creature couldn't comprehend how long he was flying, but started feeling tired as Vincent was regaining control. With a growl, the creature landed, shuddered and morphed back to his more human form.

After regaining control, a tired Vincent looked around with his red eyes and asked himself, "Where am I?"

He saw that he was in the middle of a forest and decided to take a break. The former Turk sat down next to one of the trees, leaned on it and fell asleep. When he did, the woman from before looked at him and thought, 'Well…The creature is human…No matter. He'll be my ticket out of here.'

* * *

_August 19th, Antonelli's School of Special Arts, Tifa and Aqua's room, third floor…_

After being introduced to the school's students and taken to their rooms, Aqua and Tifa started unpacking in their room. As they unpacked, Aqua saw Tifa's sadden face.

"What's wrong?" she asked her.

"Cloud and Zack's probably worried about us," Tifa said.

"Well, we did leave them behind…and we didn't have much of a choice," Aqua said.

"Do you think they'll leave Shinra?" Tifa asked.

"I hope so…" Aqua muttered.

Once she was done unpacking, Aqua started walking around the school, taking in the sights. The Antonelli Manor, once called Balamb Castle, was a large castle with 700 rooms, four floors, a basement lab, two courtyards, a full kitchen, a living room, dining hall, a recreation room and a training room for the students to use their powers.

Students took up most of the rooms and the teachers and maintenance staff. The girls took the east wing while the boys took the west wing. The castle was nestled in the middle of a hilly region and was quite picturesque. Since it was summer, most of the students from Radiant Garden and nearby cities were at home, making the place emptier than usual.

Aqua headed into the inner courtyard and saw that gardeners were replanting areas that Chaos had destroyed. The workers also went and started fixing the outer courtyard as well. The kitchen's window that Chaos had destroyed several days ago was completely fixed and fully functional again.

There, she saw Reno and Axel, making grilled cheese sandwiches. "Hey, newbie!" Reno yelled.

"Um…Hi?" Aqua said.

"So, you're the headmistress's granddaughter…What's your power?" Axel asked.

"Um…weather control and water manipulation," Aqua said.

"Huh…I guess that means we can have snow in August!" Reno yelled.

Aqua was confused and immediately asked the twins, "What are your powers?"

"Fire!" Reno yelled.

"Burn baby!" Axel yelled.

The flames from the stove suddenly shot up in the air and Aqua screamed. "Reno! Axel! Stop!" Terra yelled, coming in.

Axel and Reno groaned and the flames on the stove died down. The two saw that their sandwiches had turned to ash and groaned again.

"See? That's why the headmistress said you gotta control your powers," Terra said.

"We'll go and get Qing food…" Reno muttered.

Terra opened a dark corridor and the two stepped through to head to Radiant Garden. Once the corridor had closed, Terra looked at Aqua and asked, "So, how you like your first day here?"

Aqua looked worried and Terra said, "You're worried about your other friends, aren't you?"

"Well, yeah. We left them in Midgar," Aqua replied.

"Well, don't worry. The invitation is for them too," Terra said, smiling.

Aqua smiled back and Terra saw her blush. "H-hey, you okay? You're turning beet red," Terra said.

"Um, y-yeah," Aqua said, catching herself.

"So, do you want a tour or are you good?" Terra asked.

Aqua allowed him to lead the way and Terra led her to the recreation room in the central part of the manor. There, she saw Sora, Vanitas, Roxas, Ventus and Riku playing on a gaming console. They had their lunches around them and the boys huddled around the TV.

"Hey! I wanna be that guy! That is sweet! He's freakin' red! He looks like Sonic, but he's not! I wanna be that guy!" Sora exclaimed.

The five sensed Terra and Aqua's presence and Ven said, "Hey, take a seat!"

Aqua and Terra did and the young woman was confused at what she saw on the TV screen. "What is that…thing?" Aqua asked, pointing at the blue hedgehog.

"Oh, that's Sonic the Hedgehog," Roxas replied.

"And the yellow guy?" Aqua asked.

"Tails the Fox," Riku answered.

"And…?" Aqua asked.

Terra shook his head and began explaining the Sonic games to her (created by a Shinra company called SEGA). After he was done, Aqua was confused about the item called the Chaos Emeralds. So, Sora explained.

"In the Sonic universe, there are seven Chaos Emeralds that Dr. 'EggMcBikman' wants to use to take over the world. Also, when Sonic gets them HE LOOKS LIKE A DRAGONBALL Z CHARACTER!" Sora explained.

"HECK YEAH!" Vanitas, Roxas and Ventus yelled, cursing.

"Hey!" Terra yelled.

The boys groaned and Aqua started seeing the fails of Sora. He managed to kill Sonic about 20 times in less than five minutes. After seeing his twin fail, Vanitas said, "Wow. And I thought Riku was a terrible gamer."

"Hey!" Riku yelled. A slight dark mist came out of him and Aqua saw that he was a Special of the dark variety like Terra.

"I was just being honest," Vanitas admitted.

"More like a jerk," Sora said.

Vanitas glared at him and Sora stuck out his tongue. "Well, we'll be going now. Don't try to kill each other while I'm gone," Terra said.

He then left with Aqua and continued to take a tour of the castle. Before they could go, they heard Sora scream, "HE'S…HE'S GOLDEN! HE'S A GOLDEN MAN!"

* * *

_With Tifa…_

Tifa walked around the castle and saw that many of the rooms were empty. "Huh. Wonder why everyone's gone," she muttered to herself.

She then bumped into someone. "Ow. I'm sorry," the woman said.

Tifa looked at her and was shocked. "Aerith? What are you doing here?" Tifa asked.

Aerith looked at her and yelled, "Officer Lockhart? Are you going to arrest me? I didn't do anything wrong!"

Aerith immediately closed her eyes and put her hands in her face.

"I'm not going to arrest you, but…Why aren't you in Midgar?" Tifa asked.

Aerith explained on how a boy named Riku Ishida found her in the slums and invited her to the school. With a bit of sadness, she did. She figured that Zack would follow her.

"Oh…I guess Cloud will come after me too…" Tifa whispered, thinking aloud.

"Huh?" Aerith asked, not hearing her.

"Nothing," Tifa said.

* * *

_Dining hall, 7 p.m…_

The students and faculty who remained in the manor over the summer, Tifa, Aqua and Maria Theresa, sat around the dinner table and Aqua saw her new housemates and their eating habits. Sora and Ventus munched on their food voraciously while Vanitas and Roxas took their time to eat. Riku ate slowly while Terra had calmly eaten his food for once.

Maria Theresa smiled at Aqua and said to the students, "Since the school semester is starting soon…"

"Gawwww…." Reno and Axel groaned.

She glared at them and continued. "We'll add more courses and training regimens. We need to make sure that we're prepared for anything."

"The training will start tomorrow morning. Tifa, Aqua, I want you to participate in this session. We need to know the limits of your powers," she added.

* * *

"_Aqua, are you okay?" a five-year-old Zack asked._

_Aqua, four-years-old, said nothing. Instead she rocked back and forth in her chair._

"_They did start the first experiments on her," Angeal told him._

"_So, what can we do?" Zack asked._

"_She'll snap out of it once the medicine wears off. And Dr. Lucrecia's watching over her," Angeal said._

_A group of doctors, spearheaded by Doctors Hojo and Lucrecia, came in. "Get the Storm Rider," Dr. Hojo ordered._

_The guards grabbed Aqua, taking her to another of the labs. There, Aqua was given another round of injections. When the first injection was put in, Aqua began screaming as it burned. She saw another needle and screamed, releasing large amounts of lightning. The lightning hit several computers and doctors. After the release of the lightning, Aqua passed out._

* * *

Aqua woke up, panting as she had a nightmare. After calming herself, she felt a presence that wasn't Tifa in her room. She looked around and saw no one.

"I must still be half-asleep," Aqua said to herself.

She looked over at Tifa and saw that the young woman was fast asleep. 'I guess she didn't sense anything,' Aqua thought.

The Storm Rider then sensed something odd. The room was quite dark, darker than normal. 'What's with the room being so dark?' Aqua thought.

Quietly, she left the room and entered the halls. There, she saw Riku. He looked at her and his usual aquamarine colored eyes were now yellow-orange in color. That startled Aqua and she summoned lightning to her hands.

"Don't attack," Riku told her.

"Why not?" Aqua asked.

"I'm not going to fight you. I was going to tell you not to go out…" Riku said.

"And why not?" Aqua asked.

"Terra…He's…well…He had to release," Riku said.

"Release what?" Aqua asked, still channeling the lightning.

Riku saw this and nearly yelled, "Can you dismiss that for five seconds?"

Aqua rolled her eyes, dismissed the lightning and Riku started explaining. "Well, for us…those who can wield shadow, we constantly absorb darkness, especially at night. We have to release all the power that we have, usually once every few weeks or so…usually…If we don't, then…we kidna go berserk," Riku explained.

"So…Terra's…?" Aqua asked.

"In the training room, but I wouldn't go in there," Riku said.

Instead of listening to him, Aqua ran off. Once she was gone, Riku shook his head. "I warned her," he said.

* * *

_Training room, 2 a.m…_

Aqua headed into the training room's observation deck and saw that the place was rather dark. "Terra's supposed to be in here?" she asked.

A column of darkness was shot up towards the observation deck and Aqua moved from the window. The glass in the window shattered and Aqua saw that a dark mist had enveloped the area. 'Does Nana know about this?' she thought.

Before she knew it, Aqua felt something come up from behind her. She turned around and was hit by a column of darkness. Aqua fell from the observation platform and was about to hit the floor when she summoned the wind to keep her in the air. Aqua looked at the observation deck and saw no one.

"Aqua?" someone said.

Aqua looked down and saw Terra. Or, someone that looked like him. He had silver hair and his eyes were now yellow. His skin was a bit darker and he had a dark aura coming from him.

He looked frightened to see her and Aqua asked, "Terra, what's wrong? What happened to you?"

"G-get out of here," Terra said.

"But…!" Aqua said.

"Just get out! I'll be fine," Terra yelled.

Within seconds, the dark aura that came from him intensified and started taking shape. "Aqua! Get out of here now!" Terra yelled.

Aqua nodded and was about to when she was grabbed by a phantom creature. It was the color of shadow and it had glowing yellow eyes. "Let me go!" Aqua screamed.

She then saw that Terra's eyes were glowing brightly and Aqua said, "Oh no…"

Terra, as if he was being controlled, began making a clutching motion with his left fist. That made the creature's grip tightened. "Let me go!" Aqua yelled.

Terra suddenly snapped out of it and said, "No…I won't…I can't!"

Aqua immediately channeled lightning and electrocuted the phantom. The phantom disappeared and Terra looked frightened. "Aqua…you have to…fight me. I can't…" he said.

"Terra, fight it!" Aqua yelled.

"I can't…Gotta…release," Terra said.

Terra roared and released a massive explosion of darkness. The darkness engulfed the whole training room, making it hard to see and breathe. Aqua was about to be consumed by it when she was suddenly pulled out of the room and into the hallway.

"I told you not to go in there," Riku said.

Aqua saw that her Nana and Riku were out in the hall with her. "Riku did tell you not to go in there," Maria Theresa said.

"But…I just wanted to check up on him. I didn't see him from the observation deck and I was attacked…I'm sorry…" Aqua said.

"It's alright. Riku managed to get you out of there before Terra's darkness could swallow you," Maria Theresa told her.

"Will he be okay?" Aqua said, still worried for Terra.

"Yes. He just needs to release his powers, lest it get the better of him," Maria Theresa replied.

Riku , seeing Aqua's slightly confused face, explained, "Aqua, for us…We constantly absorb darkness, day and night. And…if we don't release it…the darkness builds up and we start going crazy. That's why a lot of people are afraid of us…"

"So, for Shadow Rippers, this place offers a release valve. If we weren't here, I'm afraid we would see more like Xehanort…" Maria Theresa said.

After the explanation, Aqua and Riku headed back to bed.

* * *

_The next morning, 9 a.m., kitchen…_

Aqua sat in the kitchen and saw that Terra had come in. He was back to his normal appearance and wordlessly sat down next to her at the kitchen island. Noticing that he looked fatigued, Aqua asked, "Are you okay?"

Terra looked at her and said nothing. "I heard from Riku and my Nana…You needed a release vault and the training room was perfect. I should've listened and left you alone," Aqua told him.

Terra sighed and stayed silent. "But…what was that? That thing that attacked me? It came from your shadow," Aqua asked.

"That…was…my guardian," Terra said in a whisper.

"Your 'guardian'?" Aqua asked.

"Yeah…It came before I came to the school. My dad took notice and my mom sent me here so I wouldn't be like him…Shadow Rippers and others who can use darkness…we have guardians to protect us. They're supposed to be the darkness inside of us…but…" Terra said.

Seeing him tired, Aqua said, "Try to get some rest."

Terra smiled and Aqua left, heading for the courtyard. Once she was gone, Terra muttered, "I won't be like you, grandpa."

* * *

_So, Riku and Terra has to release their powers or they'll end up like Xehanort. Hmm…Review?_

_-miano53_


	15. Chapter Fourteen

"_Dr. Lucrecia Crescent has resigned as head of the medical department over the Specials. Her position's replacement is TBA."_

_-Shinra Memorandum_

Chapter Fourteen: More Arrivals

_Unknown…_

Vincent, after waking up and walking around the forest for what felt like days, stopped as he felt something watching him. He turned around and suddenly was stabbed in the chest by the woman who looked exactly like Maria Theresa. She dug her hand through his chest and pulled out what looked like a crystal. The crystal, despite being bloodied, shown with a bright light and the woman looked pleased.

Due to the pain, Vincent collapsed to the ground and started rapidly losing blood. The woman saw his body twitch and rapidly change into Chaos. After changing, the creature changed back into Vincent.

"Oh…So Lucrecia put this in you to control you…But it seems that you still can't control yourself even with this," the woman said.

Vincent, with the last bit of his consciousness, looked up at her. He muttered something and the woman taunted him, saying, "Oh. I couldn't hear that. Can you say it again?"

The man lost consciousness and the woman smiled. A reddish aura surrounded Vincent and he started shape shifting again. The woman saw this and said, "Well, I can't stay. I have a meeting with my sister. Goodbye."

With an aura like a firebird, the woman flew off. After she was gone, Vincent had changed into Chaos. But, something was wrong.

Because of the proto-materia, Chaos had more of Vincent's face, thus looking more human. Since the proto-materia was gone, Chaos looked much more feral. The face looked less like Vincent's and more like a carnivorous animal. His muscle mass increased tremendously and his wingspan had grown another five feet, having a total wingspan of twelve feet. His hands were now large claws and his feet were now bare.

He roared and a massive wave of darkness came from him. It destroyed most of the surrounding area and set parts of the forest ablaze. With another roar, this time louder, the creature beat its wings and flew off.

* * *

_August 25th, 9 a.m.…_

Aqua, with Terra and several of the students, saw the arrival of the students for the semester. One of them included a girl named Shelke Rui, one of the teachers named Shalua Rui, the niece to the ruler of Radiant Garden, Kairi Hikari, and many others. After being introduced to by the teachers and given schedules, the newly arrived students headed for their rooms.

"Another school year," Maria Theresa said.

"And another set of problems…" Cecil said.

"Well, we'll just see how this school year will turn out," Rosa told him.

"So, what about me?" Aqua asked.

"You'll mostly train. I can already tell that Shinra has already given you college level courses," Maria Theresa said.

"Meaning that you'll mostly learn how to use your powers," Terra told her.

"Yes. You'll join the older students in training sessions. Hopefully you all will be able to work as a team," Maria Theresa said.

She then told Aqua to head into her room as there was something waiting for her. Aqua did and found that she had a new training outfit on her bed. It was a blue, high collared halter top with pink suspenders, black shorts and leggings. There were two white bell sleeves for her arms, two grey open fingered gloves for her hands and a belt with two blue strips of cloth hanging from both the left and right side. Shoes were at the foot of her bed and Aqua put on the new outfit.

Once she did that, she headed for the training room. There, she saw Sora, Vanitas, Reno and Axel. They were all in training attire and they saw Aqua's outfit.

"Nice…" Reno said.

Sora and Vanitas noticed him looking at her like a piece of steak. A little worried for Reno, Vanitas told him, "You know that Terra's gonna kill ya for lookin' at her like that."

"No he's not," Reno said.

Aqua rolled her eyes and saw Tifa enter. She was also in her new training outfit of all black and she looked at Aqua. "Nice outfit," Tifa commented.

The six heard a voice over the intercom and they said, "The headmistress said that you all have to learn to work together as a team, so…"

"Shelke, just get on with it!" Axel yelled.

Shelke, who was connected to the computer of the training room, glared at him and began activating a program. Instead of doing a simple training exercise, she activated something known to many in the house as "Night of the Nosferatu." The scenery of the training room changed to that of a darkened hallway and Vanitas face palmed.

"You just had to piss her off…" he said to Axel.

"What's going on? What happened to the room?" Aqua asked, uncomfortable in the change of scenery.

"You have fifteen minutes to find five Nosferatu and defeat them. They are monsters who attack humans and Specials for their life blood, if you didn't know that. You must also prevent them from killing any civilians. Mission…begin!" Shelke said.

The mission started and Sora was the first to walk up to a casket. Figuring that something was in there, he knocked on it. There was no response. "Whew, glad nothing's in there, huh?" he sighed in nervousness.

"Sora, look out!" Vanitas yelled.

The casket suddenly opened and Sora saw the first Nosferatu. Sora gasped and yelled, "I'm outta here, girl!"

He ran back to Aqua and hid behind her. The monster lunged at her and was greeted with a punch in the face by Tifa. The Nosferatu slashed at her and Tifa dodged the attacks.

Aqua quickly channeled lightning and shot the monster. The creature was sent flying into a wall and Reno thought it was dead. So, he said, "Heh, you went down!"

"That's where you're wrong, boy," the monster said and rose back up.

"OH MY GO-OO-OO-OD!" he screamed.

He summoned flames to his night stick and started whacking at the Nosferatu. "Hey, you speak 'Chopanese'? Huh? Huh? I speak 'Chopanese'! I invented the language! Alright, witch, come at me!" Reno yelled, swinging the night stick.

He was hit by the monster's claws and he managed to hit it. The Nosferatu was knocked to the ground and Reno sighed with relief. Until he saw it rose again.

This time, Axel killed it with a column of flame. "KILL IT WITH FIRE!" Sora screamed.

"What do you think I'm doing?" Axel screamed.

The monster was charred to a crisp and Shelke said, "You know you have four more to go and only ten minutes left."

"You're evil, you know that," Reno said.

Shelke smirked and told them, "You're running out of time. The Nosferatu already started attacking civilians outside."

The six headed to the next area and it was an open courtyard of a castle. Three of the four attacking Nosferatu were attacking the civilians. "Split up!" Sora ordered.

The six split up into three teams of two. Tifa went with Aqua. Sora went with Vanitas and Reno stuck with his brother Axel.

Tifa lunged at the Nosferatu and kicked it off of a railing it was standing on. Once that was done, Aqua destroyed it with lightning.

With Reno and Axel, the two combined their powers to summoned a large explosion of fire. The fire destroyed the monster and…several trees. When the two noticed they managed to char the area around them, the two groaned.

"We'll get points off for that…" Axel groaned.

With Sora and Vanitas, the two summoned a tornado to fling the Nosferatu away. Once that was done, Shelke said, "You only have two minutes left. I suggest you find the Nosferatu before it finds you."

"Shelke, you're a troll…" Vanitas said.

The six walked to what looked like a graveyard and Aqua started getting nervous. The others didn't notice, but Shelke did. An anomaly appeared in the system and she muttered, "What's this? This shouldn't be here. Why is the weather…? Oh no…I have to cancel the simulation."

"What's wrong?" Sora asked.

"Abort mission. Something's wrong!" Shelke said.

"Okay, the exit should be…" Sora said.

The Nosferatu suddenly appeared in front of him and he screamed. "AAAH!" Sora screamed.

Aqua was just as scared and screamed as well. "AAH! Get away!" she screamed.

Arcs of lightning hit the virtual monster and started disintegrating it. Once the monster had died, the arcs of lightning hit various parts of the room. That caused for the computer systems to be damaged, hurting Shelke and stopping the simulation.

Aqua collapsed to the ground and Tifa yelled, "Somebody get help."

"I've already alerted the headmistress…" Shelke said, tired.

She managed to disconnect herself from the computer and limped out of the computer room. After getting the headmistress, the group carried Aqua off to one of the labs.

* * *

_Later…_

Tifa waited outside the lab Aqua was in and saw that Rosa and Shalua were checking her mental state. Shalua shook her head and Tifa knew something was wrong. Shalua exited the lab and saw Tifa.

"Is she going to be okay?" Tifa asked.

"Yes, but according to her mental state…she's not that much in control of her powers than she thinks. It seems she suffered trauma and never really recovered from it," Shalua said.

Tifa looked down and she said, "It's over her mom. She told us that she remembers what happened…and…"

"I understand. I heard from the headmistress. I also heard that Shinra performed experiments on the Specials there and Aqua was tested to see what her weakness was. Apparently, it's unshakable illusions," Shalua said.

"So…what can we do?" Tifa asked.

"Nothing. She has to go to the headmistress for that. She needs to learn how to see through illusions and not let it get the best of her," Shalua said.

"Hopefully it'll work…" Tifa said, remembering all the times Aqua lost control of her powers due to illusions…and mental trauma.

* * *

_Maria Theresa's office, 9 pm…_

Maria Theresa suddenly woke up from a dream she had. She dreamt that she saw Vincent getting stabbed in the chest by a woman who looked just like her. The woman took the proto-materia from him and left him. Vincent changed form and went into a frenzy.

"Anna Lucia…what have you done? And…" Maria Theresa muttered.

"Headmistress…?" someone said.

Maria Theresa saw that one of the maintenance staff had peeked through the door. "Um, ma'am, there's someone here to see you. She looks like a doctor," they said.

The headmistress smiled and knew who it was. So, she rushed out of the office and headed to the vestibule. There, she saw her old friend, Lucrecia Crescent. She had brought some men with her and Maria Theresa said, "Lucrecia! I haven't seen you in six years!"

Lucrecia hugged her old friend and introduced the headmistress to Cloud Strife and Zack Fair. "Oh, so you're my granddaughter's friends. Why did you leave Shinra?" Maria Theresa said.

"Well, we overheard someone at Shinra say that they were going to perform more experiments on us…So, when Dr. Crescent wanted to leave, we left," Zack said.

Maria Theresa sensed they were telling the truth and could see the aura of Fenrir coming from Cloud. 'I knew it,' she thought.

"Well, you'll be protected here. I've heard from the capital that they did not accept the peace offer from Shinra. So, Shinra cannot use our airspace," Maria Theresa said.

She then told Cloud and Zack to head to the west wing. They did and the headmistress looked at Lucrecia. Sensing that she had something to say, Maria Theresa led the woman to her office.

There, the two sat down and Maria Theresa poured a drink for her friend. Once she sat down, Lucrecia said, "I heard what happened to Nathan…I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault. He was ill…" Maria Theresa told her.

"But I could've found a cure for his cancer! Instead I…helped with…" Lucrecia said.

"Can you please be quiet? It wasn't your fault! His tumor came from something else and spread…" Maria Theresa yelled.

"But…I could've found a cure for him…He still would've been alive today…" Lucrecia told her.

Maria Theresa rolled her eyes and said, "Why must you do this? You had no part in my husband's death. I don't blame you for anything, so stop blaming yourself!"

Lucrecia looked at her and said, "I'm sorry."

"And stop saying that! You're always apologizing for things you didn't do!" Maria Theresa yelled.

"But…" Lucrecia said.

"No 'buts'. You didn't know until I told you two years before he died," Maria Theresa said.

Lucrecia was silent and Maria Theresa said, "You've been blaming yourself for all the bad things that have happened since…Dr. Valentine died. Why is that?"

The former Shinra doctor looked down and Maria Theresa began probing her mind. To her surprise, Lucrecia mentally blocked the probe. "Don't do that…please…" she told the headmistress.

"Then tell me why," Maria Theresa said.

"No," Lucrecia said.

"Why not?" Maria Theresa asked.

"Because…it really was my fault. Do you remember the Chaos gene we found at Mt. Nibel 32 years ago?" Lucrecia asked.

Maria Theresa nodded and the woman continued. "We were working on an experiment to see what the gene could do when…the gene suddenly attacked. It sent out a wave of energy and Dr. Valentine pushed me out of the way. He was rushed to the hospital where he died later," Lucrecia explained.

"And…a few years later, I subjected Sephiroth to the experiments and Vincent was against it. He thought that Specials shouldn't be used as lab rats by normal humans…So, he went to Hojo and told him about it…Then…he was shot in the chest by him and experimented on. When I found out, I heard that the experiments Hojo performed on him were a failure…"

"So, I managed to get him into a vita chamber as I saw that he wasn't healing from any of them. I tried everything, Maria, even using a bio-suit to enhance any healing abilities. None of them worked. Hojo found out what I was doing and laughed at me. 'Once a scientist, always a scientist,' he said."

"I told him it wasn't an experiment and he kept laughing. After he left, I…thought to put the gene in him. I thought it would promote his healing, but…instead I…" Lucrecia said.

"You turned Vincent into a monster," Maria Theresa said.

Lucrecia nodded and added, "It changed him so badly that he turned into a monster. He lashed out and started attacking the interior of the chamber. I panicked and I used…"

"You used your tele-empathy to calm him, right?" Maria Theresa asked.

Lucrecia nodded again and said, "It did calm him and a bright light appeared behind me…That's when I saw the proto-materia. When I picked it up, a pulsating light came from it and it throbbed like a heart…I then concluded that the materia kept the monster in control. So, I tried to use more of my power on him. The materia reacted and the monster started sleeping, but didn't return Vincent to me…"

"So, I tried to find a reversal on it. I couldn't find anything. I didn't want to give up, so I spent three months trying to find one, but I still didn't find anything. One day, when I was researching a way to reverse the transformation…I sensed something…watching me. I turned to look and saw him looking directly at me."

"I was scared. I thought…he was going to attack me…Instead, he just looked at me. I think Vincent may have had some control…via the subconscious. The creature reached out to me and was held back by the chamber. I promised him that I would find a way to change him back to being human…but…I failed."

"A month later, Shinra told us to come back to the capital. We were to clear out of the mansion and leave no evidence behind. I managed to bring the proto-materia, but when Hojo found out about it, we argued and he shot at it. The crystal broke, leaving a half and many shards behind…Hojo laughed as I tried to pick up the pieces…" Lucrecia explained.

"And…you did?" Maria Theresa asked.

Lucrecia nodded and said, "Hojo took the half shard and left with it. I managed to pick up the pieces of the crystal. When I did, the crystal turned into another half shard. After it turned into that shard, I heard a commotion in my lab. I headed there and saw that Chaos had managed to break out of the vita chamber. He attacked the lab, injured a lot of Shinra troops and destroyed most of the computers."

"I used the shard to calm him and he did. But, Hojo heard and came to the lab. He saw Chaos and started laughing. 'I hope you know what must be done. He's a failed experiment,' he told me. I told him I know what to do and…I put Chaos to sleep. I told him that would come back after I find a way to change him back. After putting him to sleep, he…changed back."

"Since Hojo thought he was a failed experiment…he had me lock him in a coffin. Before I did, I put the materia there. I hoped that it would keep him calm in there…" Lucrecia said.

"And you didn't see him for over 31 years…" Maria Theresa said.

Lucrecia nodded and the headmistress said, "Well, there is still a chance for you to make things right."

"What do you mean? He shouldn't have survived after what happened to him…" Lucrecia said.

"He did. But, I'll tell you more about it later. Right now, you need to settle in your room," Maria Theresa said.

The two women hugged again and Maria Theresa said, "It's good to see you again."

With that, the hug was released and Lucrecia headed to her room. Maria Theresa sighed and said, "So…that's why we found him in a coffin…"

* * *

_So, that's what really happened for Chaos to appear. Yeah, it's a bit different from what happened in the FFVII series, but this IS an AU. So, review?_

_-miano53_


	16. Chapter Fifteen

_For the Galian Beast form Vincent has, it's the one from Dirge of Cerberus, 'cause the original one looks like a regular old behemoth._

_-miano53_

* * *

"_Officer Cloud Strife, Officer Aqua Tiberi, Officer Tifa Lockhart and Officer Zack Fair's current status is M.I.A. They went missing during a mission in Radiant Garden. We are currently investigating why they disappeared."_

_-A memo to Shinra Special operatives from Director Lazard_

Chapter Fifteen: Truth

_August 26th, 1 a.m.…_

The woman who took Vincent's proto-materia arrived in Radiant Garden and was inside of a hotel room. She looked out the window with a smug look and said, "After so many years…I finally escaped that retched place. Sure I had to leave that monster behind, but…"

The woman immediately saw that the materia in her hands had stopped glowing. "Well, you're useless now…In the trash with you," the woman said.

Before she could, the materia disappeared. The woman shrugged her shoulders and said, "It won't be long now, Maria. I'll get my vengeance for what you did to me."

* * *

Maria Theresa woke up with a start and said, "No…Anna…"

The headmistress looked around and saw that objects in her room were floating. She calmed her breathing and the objects went back to their respective places. "Why is she here? She disappeared over 23 years ago," she muttered.

"You okay?" someone said.

The headmistress saw that Riku had peeked in to check on her. "I'm fine. Go back to bed," she said to him.

He nodded and closed the door. Once he was gone, she thought, 'I pray that she never finds us.'

* * *

_Later that morning…_

Lucrecia entered Maria Theresa's office and saw that Aqua was there. "Oh!" she said.

"Shh…You must be quiet. Aqua is concentrating," Maria Theresa told her.

Lucrecia saw that Aqua's eyes were closed and the skies were covered with clouds. "Now, just clear your mind and the clouds will disappear," Maria Theresa told Aqua.

Aqua opened her eyes and they were now an ice blue. The clouds dissipated, revealing the sun. Pleased, Maria Theresa told her, "That's enough for today. Just make sure that you work on your breathing when you start to panic."

Aqua nodded and left, saying hi to Lucrecia on her way out. When she was gone, Lucrecia asked the headmistress, "What did you mean by what you said on yesterday?"

"What did I say?" Maria Theresa asked.

"You said that Vincent is still alive. How do you know that?" Lucrecia asked.

"Well…we found him…my husband and me," Maria Theresa said.

Lucrecia, confused, asked, "What? How?"

"It was about fifteen years ago, four years before Nathan died and a year before we founded the school…My granddaughter was kidnapped and my daughter and son-in-law killed…" Maria Theresa said.

"How old was she?" Lucrecia asked.

"She was 19 when she died. She had Aqua at 15 with Senator Lucien's son," Maria Theresa replied.

"Oh…so…how did you find him?" Lucrecia said.

Maria Theresa sighed and started telling her old friend on what happened fifteen years ago.

* * *

_15 years ago, Shinra Manor, Nibel Region…_

_After getting the okay from her husband Nathan to go and find someone who could help with enacting their revenge on Shinra for killing their daughter and kidnapping their grandchild, the 41-year-old Maria Theresa and her staff from the manor arrived at Shinra Manor. The place was falling apart and was filled to the brim with monsters. _

_One of her staff, a 30 year old Fuerte named Jecht Xol, looked at her and asked, "Sure that someone's livin' here? Sure don't look like it."_

"_Yes someone lives here. My dreams haven't been wrong yet," Maria Theresa told him._

_Jecht shrugged his shoulders and was immediately silenced by another of the staff named 45 year old Paladin, Eraqus Luces. "Shh…What was that?" he said._

_Maria Theresa started using telepathy to find out what the noise was. "It could've been a werewolf," the third of the staff, a 21 year old Wind Rider named Sayuri Masumoto (Sora and Vanitas' mother) said._

"_I heard a story 'bout them once. A pack of 'em killed the ma and pop of this litter of Nibel wolf pups one day. A group o' traders found 'em and took 'em back to their camp. That night, the pups turned and killed all the traders 'cause that virus turned 'em into werewolves. Good thing the virus don't affect us humans," the last of the staff, 20 year old human named Barret Wallace, explained._

_Maria Theresa looked around and saw the path that led to the basement. "Follow me," she told the staff._

_They did and saw that they were heading for the underground labs. There, they walked through the halls and saw the halls lined up with…caskets. That unnerved everyone and Barret said, "What's this? A funeral home?"_

"_I don't like this place. I'm scared," Sayuri whimpered._

"_Don't worry. We'll protect ya. Unlike that prissy husband of yours," Jecht said._

"_HEY! He has asthma and can't handle the air quality of Shinra," Sayuri yelled._

"_Yeah, yeah! And I'm the tooth fairy! Just admit that husband of yours' scared of Shinra," Jecht said._

"_I will do no such thing!" Sayuri yelled._

"_Shh! You wanna alert all the werewolves? Tell 'em lunch's here?" Barret said._

_The sound of a dog yelping was heard and Maria Theresa rushed forward. The staff reluctantly followed her and wound up in what looked like an old lab. There was a dog there and he looked injured. _

"_Oh no…You poor thing…" Maria Theresa said to it._

_The dog whined and Maria Theresa used her powers to heal it. Once that was done, the dog started wagging its tail and ran off to another room. Maria Theresa followed it and the staff sighed._

"_She gonna lead us to our deaths…" Barret said._

_In the next room, the group saw that the area was filled with caskets. Sayuri nearly fainted as she saw the scattered remains of humans. "W-what is this?" she asked, horrified._

_Eraqus helped her stay on her feet and Jecht said, "Seems like a lot of people died here…"_

_The dog headed for a casket in the middle of the room and began scratching at it. Maria Theresa tried opening it, but found that it was locked. "Huh…Locked," she said._

"_Maybe it's for the best. Whatever's in there can't be good if the thing's locked," Jecht said._

"_For once, I have to agree with you," Eraqus said._

"_Yeah, maybe a zombie's in there," Barret said._

"_Or a Nosferatu," Sayuri whimpered, holding onto Eraqus for support._

_Maria Theresa ignored them and used her telekinesis to open the casket. The staff yelled at her as she opened the casket. When she did, Sayuri fainted._

"_Monster!" Jecht and Barret yelled._

_The "monster" was a pale skinned man that looked like he was in his late 20s. His long, raven hair was messy and a black biosuit was on him. A dog tag was around his neck and he was fast asleep. A crystal shard was next to him and Maria Theresa quickly picked it up._

_The others gathered around the casket, after waking Sayuri up, and Barret said, "If I didn't know better, I would've thought he was a Nosferatu."_

_The man stirred awake and looked at them. His red eyes scared Sayuri and she pulled out her odd weapon of a flute. "Monster!" she screamed, pointing the weapon at him._

_The man slowly sat up and started looking around. Maria Theresa looked at him and asked, "Um…Are you alright? Why were you in a casket?"_

_He said nothing, just looked at her with confusion. "Um…I am Maria Theresa Antonelli. What is your name?"_

_The man looked at her and then at the group. Eraqus looked at him and said, "Do you know where you are?"_

_The man didn't reply. "Do you know why you were in a casket?" Eraqus asked._

_Seeing his reaction of silence and a confused expression on his face, Jecht said, "I don't think he understood us."_

_Maria Theresa agreed and Sayuri yelled, "That means he's a monster! KILL HIM WITH FIRE!"_

_The man suddenly glared at her and a low growl was heard. "I don't think we should…" Barret said, readying his gun._

"_Shh, calm down. She's just on edge," Maria Theresa said to him._

_The man stopped growling and looked at her. Maria Theresa started using her telepathy and found something shocking. He had amnesia as the chains of his memory were broken, meaning his suffered from a powerful mind break. The amnesia was so severe that he reverted to a toddler-like state. After that revelation, Maria Theresa told her staff what had happened._

"_What do you think was the cause of this?" Eraqus asked._

"_I…don't know. Most of his memory is scattered and too far for me to reach. We'll have to take him back to the manor," Maria Theresa said._

"_Uh, excuse me, but didn't he just growl at us a few seconds ago?" Jecht asked._

"_Yeah, so why you gonna take him back with us?" Barret asked._

"_He's a monster!" Sayuri yelled._

"_Or maybe he's just a poor victim of Shinra's experiments on Specials," Maria Theresa said._

_She looked at his dog tag and gasped. "What's wrong?" Eraqus asked her._

"_Vincent…What did they do to you?" Maria Theresa muttered._

"_Who's Vincent?" Sayuri asked._

"_An old friend…He helped me after a failed inception…I panicked and nearly destroyed this manor…I owed him a life debt. Now, I can return the favor," Maria Theresa told her._

_Vincent looked at her and still was rather confused. Maria Theresa looked at him and said, "C'mon. We'll get you out of here and get you some help."_

_Instead of reaching for her hand, Vincent looked down and muttered the only coherent thought he had. "No…S-she said…She said she was c-coming for me," he said in a childlike tone._

"_What? Who?" Maria Theresa asked him._

"_Lu…Lucr…Lu…" was all Vincent could say._

'_Lucrecia told him that…? But he's been here for…too long…' Maria Theresa thought._

"_Vincent…she sent us to find you," Eraqus said, lying._

"_She said…she was coming…" Vincent said._

"_She had a bit of a delay, so she sent us to find you and bring you to her," Maria Theresa said, also lying._

_Now believing her, Vincent slowly climbed out of the casket. Once out, he collapsed to the ground. Maria Theresa ordered Jecht to help him up and he did. "Let's go," she said and the group headed back to the entrance._

_When they did, the dog they found went first. He howled like a wolf and immediately turned into a werewolf. "A WEREWOLF! I FREAKIN' KNEW IT!" Barret yelled, cursing._

_He shot the werewolf and instantly killed it. But, it's death caused for more to appear. Jecht readied his massive sword. Eraqus readied his katana. Sayuri put the flute to her lips and Barret readied his._

_Maria Theresa turned to Vincent and said, "Stay here."_

_Her staff and she started attacking the monsters. Barret began shooting down the werewolves that were at long range. Sayuri aided him by playing the flute, summoning wind gusts that pushed the monsters into small groups. Eraqus and Jecht used. Maria Theresa kept the enemies back by creating a force field. _

_As they attacked, Vincent sat behind a staircase and saw the whole fight. What he didn't see was that one of the monsters had seen him and started lurking towards him. Maria Theresa sensed this and immediately became distracted. _

_That caused for the force field to fizzle out. "Vincent! Look out!" she screamed._

_Vincent looked at the monster and was immediately pinned to the ground. Barret shot it and it died instantly. But, that caused for another wave to come into the area. The group started attacking the next wave and didn't see that a sixth and seventh wave came in…along with the pack leader._

_The pack leader had attacked Maria Theresa first, sending her flying into a wall. She was bleeding and unconscious. Vincent saw this and his body immediately pulsated. _

"_Antonelli-san!" Sayuri yelled, running over to her._

_She was then hit in the back of the head by the pack leader. "Sayuri!" Jecht yelled and killed another three werewolves._

_When he did, he was slashed in the back by the pack leader. Jecht collapsed to the ground and saw that Vincent had doubled over and shaking badly. 'What the…?' he thought._

_Seeing that they were surrounded, Eraqus and Barret were back to back, their weapons at the ready. "Man, this was a bad idea. I told her it was a bad idea!" Barret said._

"_Well, we can either complain or think of a way out of…" Eraqus said._

_A loud roar was heard and it was coming from the direction of Vincent. The two looked and saw that Vincent's body was shaking. He growled and the two saw that his shape was changing. He, with a roar, changed into a bestial looking humanoid, similar to a behemoth. _

"_My gods…" Eraqus muttered._

_The creature Vincent changed into, called the Galian Beast, charged at the werewolves and started hacking away. As he did that, Eraqus and Barret moved out of the way and grabbed Jecht, Sayuri and Maria Theresa. They moved to a corner in the room and watched as the beast fought away._

"_What the heck is that? What did he turn into?" Jecht asked._

"_I dunno, but we gotta wake up Maria and Sayuri," Barret said._

_Maria Theresa woke up and saw the beast that was attacking. "What…What is that?" she said._

"_We don't know, but Vincent apparently turned into that…thing," Eraqus told her._

_The Galian Beast had defeated the last of the lesser werewolves and turned his attention to the leader. The leader, apparently angered that its brethren were defeated, charged at him. The Galian Beast grabbed it by the head with his right claw and did something that scared the others. He ripped off its jaw with the left._

"_He ripped off its jaw…" Jecht said, scared._

_The Galian Beast then crushed its head and threw it towards a wall. "He crushed the werewolf's head…" Barret said, whimpering a bit._

_Once all the werewolves were dead, the beast roared and started slashing out at nothing. 'Don't say a word. Don't even breathe loudly,' Maria Theresa thought._

_The men heard her and didn't notice Sayuri waking up. Sayuri saw the Galian Beast and screamed, "WHAT THE HECK IS THAT!"_

"_Shh!" the others said._

_The scream caused for the creature's attention to be turned towards them. "Sayuri…you and your big mouth…" Jecht said._

_The creature charged towards them and Maria Theresa pushed him back with a telekinetic push. He flew back into a wall and a thought came to her to put the crystal shard in him. Seeing the gaping hole in the creature's chest, Maria Theresa ran over to him. Using telekinesis to pin the creature on the wall, she attempted to put the crystal shard in his chest. _

_That ended once the beast tried to bite her. "Hey!" she yelled._

_Now using the power of her mind, Maria Theresa lifted the crystal shard from her hands and placed it in his chest. The Galian Beast roared at her then suddenly became docile. "There. We weren't trying to hurt you," she said to him._

_The creature turned back to normal and Vincent looked exhausted. He collapsed in her arms and Maria Theresa told him, "We'll help you."_

* * *

_Present day…_

After telling her tale to Lucrecia, Maria Theresa noticed that she looked saddened. "So…those experiments turned him into…?" Lucrecia asked.

"A shape shifter? Yes," Maria Theresa replied.

"And he waited for me all those years…? And I never…came back for him," Lucrecia said and started sobbing.

"Well, we found him and started piecing his memory back together. According to his memories, he never blamed you for anything, not even his father's death. He blamed himself, however, for not stopping you from performing the experiments on Specials. After we pieced his memory together, he didn't really act like himself. He was a lot quieter and liked being alone. He rarely did anything during the daylight hours, but preferred to do things after the sun went down…" Maria Theresa said.

"So, he's not…" Lucrecia said.

"He's still Vincent, but those dark memories of his changed his personality…He's quite brooding now…and…" Maria Theresa told her.

"And what?" Lucrecia asked.

"And…after we brought him to the manor, Nathan and I placed mental seals on him as he had a lot of power, but little or no control over them. His power…it kept getting stronger every year. The first year he was here, we had little problems. But…the second year, he assumed a new form, one that we called the Death Gigas. It was a lot stronger than the Galian Beast, but…Vincent had no control over it."

"So, we taught him how, but all that teaching went down the drain the next year as powers kept growing. The third year, Vincent assumed a form we called the Hellmasker. It was quite a hideous and deadly form as it cared only for death…We tried to contain it, but it had some psionic abilities I didn't know he had. Nathan managed to contain it, but…it gotten worse the fourth year," Maria Theresa said.

"Nathan died…" Lucrecia said.

Maria Theresa nodded and said, "He died, losing his fight against the tumor that grew on his spine. That caused for the seal we created to be weakened and released the majority of Vincent's new power. He took on two more forms and each was much more deadly than the first three. One I called simply 'Assassin' form of Hellmasker and the other was Chaos. I then found out that year that Chaos had control over all the forms and had little qualms in attacking the manor."

"One day during that fourth year, I went to visit the family gravesite to visit Nathan. I sensed something odd coming from the manor, but I paid it no mind. That is until I saw something flying in the air. I looked up and saw that Chaos was poised to attack me…We fought and I emerged the victor after sealing him away, but…it didn't work for long…" Maria Theresa explained.

That's when Lucrecia remembered something. She had a flashback about her being in the ancient city of Giruvegan talking with someone. The man told her not to leave the city and Lucrecia saw his face. He looked just like Vincent and…for some reason was called Chaos.

After the flashback, Maria Theresa sensed Lucrecia's horror and said, "What happened? You spaced out for a few seconds."

"Vincent is…No…He couldn't be…" Lucrecia said.

"Chaos? Yes, he is…But, why is his own power rebelling against him, I don't know," Maria Theresa said.

Lucrecia looked at her and saw a faint aura. 'Phoenix? You're Phoenix?' she thought.

Maria Theresa nodded and said, "There are others who've awakened that are here. If so many l'Cie are waking so early and quickly, that war must be coming faster than we could think."

"Since that war is coming, we need his help. Where is Vincent?" Lucrecia asked.

"That…I don't know…He disappeared more than a week ago…" Maria Theresa said.

"Then…why are we so calm? Aren't we supposed to look for him? What if someone attacked him?" Lucrecia yelled.

When she did, a bright light appeared on the headmistress's desk and the two saw the first half of the proto-materia. "This is…the materia…" Lucrecia said.

She took it and Maria Theresa thought, 'Okay. Where's the other half…?'

* * *

_So, that's how Vincent came to live at the manor. And for those asking for more TerraxAqua and other romances, the story just started and it won't be mushy or anything like that. And thanks to the many reviews! _

_-miano53_


	17. Chapter Sixteen

"_Light Channelers can harness the energy of light and use it to turn invisible, shoot beams of energy, as well as many other things. The most powerful of Light Channelers are called Princesses of Heart. Supposedly they are direct descendants of the l'Cie of Giruvegan, but it's mostly speculation."_

_-a page from Dr. Valentine's writings_

Chapter Sixteen: Practice Makes Perfect

_August 28th, Tuesday, 7 a.m., dining hall…_

The younger students woke up and groggily headed to the dining hall for breakfast. Ventus, Sora, Roxas, Riku, Vanitas, Kairi, Naminé and Shelke were among those students. As they walked through the halls in their pajamas, Ven put his head on Vanitas and quickly received a punch to the face.

That woke him up and he yelled, "Hey!"

"Find another shoulder," Vanitas said.

Ven looked at Riku and Riku said, "Oh no…Last time, you drooled on me."

Ven looked at Sora and Sora said, "Nope. Not again."

He then looked at his own twin and Roxas said, "You might as well wake up."

Ven muttered under his breath and the group arrived in the dining hall. There, they found the older students and the teachers. "Good morning," Maria Theresa said.

The group of younger students groaned and sat down at the table. Some of the younger students had fallen asleep while the older students like Terra drunk coffee to stay awake. When the food was placed on the table, however, everyone woke up as it was something that the cooks had called "Breakfast Lasagna".

* * *

After eating, the younger students headed off to prepare for the school day. The older students, who were already ready, headed for the training room.

There, Aqua found that she was to train with Terra, Aerith and Cloud. When she arrived, Terra said to her, "Morning."

"Good morning," Aqua told him.

Cloud and Aerith looked at the two and Cloud muttered, "If I didn't know better, I would say that they have a crush on each other."

"I think they do," Aerith whispered to him.

Before he could make a reply, their teacher had entered. "Hey, Master Eraqus," Terra said.

The Paladin came into the room and said to Terra, "Good morning."

He then looked over at Aqua, Cloud and Aerith. "I see that I have new pupils. Very well. I have looked at your files Shelke downloaded from Shinra. Your powers are amazing, but they can turn quickly on you if you do not learn to control them," Eraqus said to them.

The group nodded and heard the training room door enter. Terra and Eraqus groaned. "Not you two…" Terra muttered.

Reno and Axel, who were late, had entered the training room and heard the two mutter. "Why aren't you in class?" Eraqus asked.

"Hey, we are seventeen," Axel said.

"Meaning that we're with the older students now," Reno said.

Terra shook his head and said to Aqua, Cloud and Aerith, "Well, if you don't remember…this is Axel and Reno, the school's Pyros."

"Yup. Your 'Friendly Neighborhood Pyros'," Axel said.

"How is being a Pyro 'neighborhood friendly'?" Cloud asked.

"Well, you know what we mean!" Reno said.

"Alright, let us begin the exercise. Shelke," Eraqus said.

"Yes?" Shelke said over the intercom.

"Begin the program," Eraqus said.

"Yes sir," Shelke said.

Using her cyberkinesis, Shelke activated the program called "Doppelganger." The room changed to that of the streets of Midgar. Aqua and Cloud looked around and saw that they were in LOVELESS Avenue.

"How did you…?" Aqua asked.

"I was able to create this stage based on data I found when getting your files," Shelke told them.

The group of students then saw shadows coming up from the ground. Cloud immediately pulled out his sword and the others became defensive. Eraqus, seeing this, said, "Do not fight them just yet."

The shadows shaped themselves into exact replicas of the students and Eraqus told them, "This exercise requires you to fight yourself. As they say, you can be your own worst enemy. We will have you all go one at a time. Reno, you're up."

Reno, pulling out his night stick, walked up to his doppelganger and the others moved back. "Okay, you asked for it," he said.

He summoned flames to his weapon and his clone did the same. "What the…? What the…? What the what?" he said.

"He's you! Fight yourself!" Eraqus yelled.

"Okay! Okay! OW!" Reno said, getting hit by a fireball.

Reno looked at his clone and saw that he had a smug look on his face. "So that's how he wants it…" he said.

Terra, knowing what was going to happen, said, "Oh no…"

Reno summoned flames around himself and started charging. "Run guys…" Terra said, knowing what was going to happen next.

"C'mon and attack! I double-dog-dare you MOTHER…!" Reno yelled.

"Reno! Just attack already!" Axel yelled.

The doppelgangers hid behind some buildings and their real counterparts did the same, with the exception of Axel. Reno released his power and an explosion of flame consumed the area. The explosion hit Axel, but his wasn't fazed by it.

The clone had gotten hit and was sent flying back into a wall. When the group saw Reno next, he was completely engulfed in flames. That scared Aqua and she screamed.

Seeing her frightened, Terra said, "Don't worry. He's fine."

"But he's on fire," Aqua said.

"Or is he?" Aerith asked.

She pointed at Reno and Aqua took a closer look. Reno wasn't on fire. He was now made of fire. He smirked at the doppelganger and said, "You wanna attack now? C'mon!"

The flames coming from him intensified and Eraqus said, "Reno, defeat your doppelganger now!"

"Alright! Alright! Let me have some fun!" Reno yelled.

He and the doppelganger started attacking and flames filled the room. It seemed as if Reno was winning, when the doppelganger did something unusual. It blasted one of the fire hydrants Reno was next to and the older teen was hit by the massive amounts of water. That caused for him to lose his fire form and was weakened. His doppelganger disappeared with a smirk and Reno was angry.

Eraqus saw that he lost and said, "Reno, you've lost. Cloud, it's your turn. Shelke, next scenery."

"Yes sir," Shelke said.

The scenery changed to that of an open field with a full moon. Cloud started feeling his powers grow stronger. His doppelganger appeared in front of him and Cloud pulled out his sword. The clone did the same and the two started fighting.

Cloud attempted to use a sword beam when the clone used a move called Omnislash. Cloud was hit by it repeatedly and after it was done, he nearly collapsed. The clone was about to finish the fight when the lunar aura surrounded Cloud. He then used a move that wasn't seen for many millennia.

Cloud channeled power into his sword and it split into six separate copies. He then attacked, using a move he called Omnislash version 5. After hitting the clone with it, the shadow disappeared.

Once it was gone, Cloud collapsed. Aerith rushed over to him and she healed him. As their training went on, Axel was defeated by his doppelganger. Terra lost against his due to his refusal to use his powers. Aerith defeated hers and Aqua's turn was next.

The scenery of the area changed to that of a snowy night in Modeoheim. That triggered something in Aqua and Cloud sensed it. 'Oh no…' he thought.

Aqua's clone started summoning a cold gale and Aqua pushed back with lightning. The replica started using lightning of its own and the two were in a deadlock. The group saw the struggle and Cloud could tell that something was wrong.

"Tell Shelke to stop the simulation," Cloud told Eraqus.

"Why?" Eraqus said.

They all then saw more lightning coming from Aqua and the virtual weather had changed to a hurricane. That caused for the atmospheric conditions to turn as well. Shelke noticed this and tried to stop the simulation. It didn't work.

"I'm trying, but it's not working," Shelke said over the intercom.

Everyone then saw that Aqua had unleashed her all on the replica, causing for the virtual weather to become severe and destroying the simulation. The replica disappeared, but Aqua's powers had gone out of control.

Lightning started striking everywhere, making the room dangerous. Shelke disconnected from the computer system and told the group to leave. They were about to when Aqua summoned a large bolt of lightning that destroyed the roof. She flew up and escaped out of the room and Eraqus said, "What have I done?"

"It wasn't you. It was Shinra," Cloud said.

"What happened?" Maria Theresa asked, coming in the training room. She looked up and saw the destroyed roof and gasped.

"Oh no…We have to calm her. Who created the Modeoheim simulation?" Maria Theresa asked.

"I didn't. Abnormalities in the system caused it to show up…" Shelke said over the intercom.

"Sora, Ventus, Vanitas, and Roxas go outside and locate Aqua," she said, using her telepathy.

She mentally received a yes from them and ordered for the other group to follow her. They did and arrived at the border of the castle grounds. There, they saw Aqua and the massive storm she had summoned.

"We have to get up there," Cloud said.

Sora was about to lift him in the air when Cloud refused. "Motion sickness," was Cloud's excuse.

"Can't you use telepathy on her?" Eraqus asked.

"No. Her powers prevent that!" Maria Theresa said.

The rains came down and the winds picked up to 60 miles an hour. Hailstones started falling from the sky and the group had to take cover. The wind riders started swirling the winds around themselves to protect the group.

As the weather started getting worse, Terra had gotten an idea. "What happened in Modeoheim?" he asked Cloud.

Cloud explained and Terra had gotten out of the wind shield. "Sora, Ven, take me up as high as you can," he said to them.

"What?" the two said.

"I'll be fine. Just get me close enough," Terra said.

Sora and Ven nodded and lifted Terra into the air. The two flew as close as they could when they were both hit by lightning. "Sora! Ven!" Roxas yelled yelled.

The two nearly crashed into the ground when their twins caught them. After leading them to safety, the twins saw that Terra had used an airborne dark corridor to reach Aqua.

When Terra was close enough, he grabbed Aqua. Aqua, still in a very frightened state, screamed and started electrocuting Terra. The young man gritted his teeth against the pain and surprisingly kept his grip around her. Thinking that he was a monster, Aqua started freezing the air. Terra started shivering and thought to use another dark corridor.

He did and the two had landed on the ground. Once on terra firma, Aqua started squirming out of Terra's grasp. He kept his grasp on her, even when she summoned a windstorm to push him back. "Aqua! Aqua look at me!" he said.

"Leave me alone! You're with them! You took my mother!" Aqua yelled.

"Aqua…Look at me! I'm not with Shinra! Just look at me," Terra said.

Aqua turned her head in refusal and Terra grabbed her face with his right hand. He then forced her to look at him, without hurting her of course. She looked at him and said in the old language of Giruvegan, "Hashmal?"

Terra nodded and said in the modern language, "It's me…You're fine…You're safe. Shinra's not going to hurt you."

As he spoke to her, Aqua started calming down. The weather followed suit and the hailstorm stopped. The rain soon followed along with the wild winds.

Terra saw this and embraced Aqua. He then started telling her, "Shh…It's okay. You're safe…I'll protect you."

With seconds, Aqua started sobbing. "It's okay. Let it out," Terra told her.

Surprisingly the weather wasn't affected by Aqua's emotions. "I know what happened and I know what Shinra did to you. You gotta let these things out from time to time," Terra said.

Aqua kept sobbing and Terra said, "Just let my shoulder be the one you cry on, okay?"

Aqua nodded and kept her face buried in Terra's chest. He kept comforting her and didn't notice that the group had found them. Terra motioned for them to keep quiet.

'Alright, come inside when she stops crying,' Maria Theresa told him through thoughts.

'Okay…' Terra told her through thought.

* * *

_Later that night…_

Aqua, still recovering from the events earlier that day, laid in bed and looked up at the ceiling. Tifa, who heard what happened, stayed in the room with her. "Aqua? You okay?" she asked her.

The young woman didn't respond. "We all know about what happened in Modeoheim…and…well…It was pretty mess up how you had to work for the same government that did that to your parents…But…if you're not feeling fine, just tell us. Don't express it through the weather," Tifa told her.

The two then sensed that someone was at the door. Tifa opened the door and saw Kairi Hikari, the ruler of Radiant Garden's niece. "You need something?" Tifa asked.

"Um…I heard from Sora. Miss Aqua…" Kairi said.

"Aqua's fine," Aqua said after being silent the majority of the day.

"I was just going to tell you that even though Shinra took most of your family from you, we can always be your family…And, we kinda look the same," Kairi said.

Aqua looked at her and immediately said, "Well, you kinda got my chin…and I got that from my mom, according to my Nana."

Kairi was then invited into the room and she sat on Aqua's bed. Tifa sat on hers and heard another knock at the door. "Who is it?" she said, not getting up.

"Um…Naminé?" Naminé said from behind the door.

"Come in," Aqua said.

Naminé poked her head in and saw the girls. "Oh, I thought you didn't want to talk to anyone. Are you okay?" she said.

"I'm fine. I just…It was too much. I'm sorry," Aqua said.

Tifa motioned for Naminé to come in and the two saw that she looked similar to Kairi. "Cousins?" Tifa asked.

"No, sisters. And from what I overheard our aunt said, she's related to us. So, Aqua's our cousin," Naminé said.

'What? So, is that why Shinra…?' Aqua thought.

"So, what's your ability? What can you two do?" Tifa asked.

"Light manipulation," Kairi replied.

"Memory manipulation," Naminé said.

To demonstrate, Kairi summoned light to her hands. She then clapped them and the light dispersed, turning the room into what looked like outer space. "Wow!" Tifa said.

Aqua poked at one of the lights and saw that it was like a small star. "Wow…How did you do that?" Aqua asked.

"I just channeled the moonlight and formed the image of space in my mind," Kairi said.

Kairi then stopped the illusion and said, "I have other abilities like making a shield, healing, etc."

"While I can enter and rearrange the memories in people's minds. I can also create new memories and put them on the chains of memory," Naminé said.

"Oh…So…you can erase memories?" Aqua asked.

"No…I just take the memory from the chain and put it far back in a person's mind. So, even if I was to do that and a person forgot, they still have that memory. So, I can't erase the memory of your mother's death and your kidnapping. Because, that memory actually made you stronger," Naminé explained.

Aqua fell silent and thought about what she said. "That memory actually drove you to come here, to find the last of your family," Naminé told her.

Aqua sighed and Kairi said, "Besides us, the whole school will become your family. So, you'll always have a shoulder to cry on."

The young woman smiled and said, "Thank you, Kairi…I can't believe I had cousins…"

"Yeah, we didn't know you were our cousin until Aunt Maria said something," Kairi said.

"But don't call her 'Aunt' or 'Nana' in front of the others. She likes to keep things professional," Naminé said.

"Alright," Aqua said.

The girls kept chatting away that night. As they talked, Aqua smiled, happy that she found more of her family.

* * *

_Okay, so Kairi and Namin_é_ are Aqua's cousins. How so? Well…Maria Theresa is…Nope, I've said too much!_

_-miano53_


	18. Chapter Seventeen

"_The Void is a place that was supposedly created after humans opened Kingdom Hearts to find the Creator. It is a rift between worlds that seemingly has no end. Before modern times, the openings to the Void was used to send the world's worse criminals to their deaths. The Void, according to lost Shinra satellites, has several regions and is connected to the World of Nothingness (where "nothingness" gathers). One of the worse places is called the Neverending Forest. Supposedly, the only way to escape the Void is for a will and power that is stronger that it. According to legend, only one escaped. A magus called ExDeath._

_-an excerpt from Dr. Valentine's writings_

Chapter Seventeen: A Dangerous "Rescue"

_A dream…_

_Lucrecia, Vincent and Dr. Grimoire walked into a cave on Mt. Nibel and saw that it was made of pure crystals. Lucrecia, excited, yelled, "C'mon you two!"_

_Vincent shook his head and walked up to her. His father, however, took his time. "Lucrecia, calm down. The spring isn't going anywhere," he told her._

"_What's so special about this place?" Vincent asked, wondering why Lucrecia was excited about a spring…with water._

_Once the three were in front of the crystal spring, Dr. Grimoire said, "This is the place where the summon spirit, Chaos, is said to awaken."_

_The name Chaos caused for Vincent to have a slight headache. Lucrecia noticed this and asked, "Are you alright?"_

_Vincent nodded and said, "I didn't get enough sleep last night."_

_Lucrecia then took one of the crystals that pulsated with a red and black light. "Okay, let's take this back for testing."_

_The three left the cave and didn't see that the crystal had reacted strongly to Vincent's presence._

* * *

Lucrecia woke up with a start and said, "Why didn't I notice? It didn't react to either Dr. Valentine or myself. But, it did whenever Vincent was around…Almost as if it was…calling to him…"

She then remembered something that Dr. Valentine had written about Chaos. "He was…split in two? All these years, he was trying to piece himself back together? But, for what?" Lucrecia thought aloud.

She kept thinking and didn't go back to sleep.

* * *

_Friday, August 31st, 22 days after Vincent Valentine's disappearance, 10 a.m.…_

Maria Theresa called in Lucrecia, Terra, Aqua, Sora, Ventus, Roxas and Eraqus to her office. They arrived and saw that Shelke and a hooded woman was there. "What's going on?" Terra asked.

Seeing Maria Theresa's urgent look, Terra knew something was up. "I had another dream again and I believe I know where Vincent is," the headmistress told him.

"Who is that?" Sora asked.

The woman revealed her face and the group saw that it was Asura. "Lady Asura…how long has it been?" Eraqus said.

"Too long, but I am not here to visit the l'Cie children. I am here to help you. Here," Asura said, giving Lucrecia a stone.

"What's this?" she asked the Fal'Cie.

"This is the stone that will seal Chaos away until you find the other half of the proto-materia. It will also help you locate him," Asura said.

"Shelke is still looking for it. Apparently, Hojo took it and didn't put it anywhere in the Shinra building," Maria Theresa said.

"But I was able to find information about the Void. When you go there…" Shelke said.

"Wait, you're sending us…there?" Ven asked.

Maria Theresa nodded and said, "We need to have him sealed up once more as the entrances to the Void are expanding, as if his darkness is controlling them."

"But why? Vincent is still in there!" Lucrecia said.

"You all still don't remember…" Asura said.

"Remember what?" Aqua asked.

"Chaos…he…never mind. I'll explain once you return," Asura said.

"How? Nothing that went to the Void has ever returned," Eraqus asked.

"When you seal Chaos, the stone will transport you back here," Asura said.

"The airship is waiting for you outside. Shelke, give them the proto-materia," Maria Theresa said.

Shelke gave the crystal to Lucrecia and Asura told the group another valuable piece of information. "When you enter the Void, your powers will be cut in half as time moves in distorted fashions. One day could last more than 24 hours or it could be less than 12. The weather is relatively nonexistent, making it hard for the Storm Rider to use her powers," Asura explained.

"So, tread carefully when you go there. Eraqus will be your team leader," Maria Theresa said.

The group began preparing themselves for the trip and prayed that it wasn't going to be a one way trip.

* * *

_Two hours later, airship Highwind…_

The group looked around the airship _Highwind_, piloted by staff member Cid Highwind. As they searched for an entrance to the Void, Cid said, "I can't get too close. Y'all gonna have to jump when we get there."

A rumble was heard and Aqua looked out the window. Within the mountain chain north of the manor, Aqua saw a dark hole. "That's the Void," Eraqus said.

"Get us closer," Terra said.

"Boy, you freakin' mad? I ain't gettin' closer!" Cid yelled, cursing.

The airship shook and Cid yelled, "Are you freakin' kiddin' me!"

"We have to jump," Aqua said.

The group reluctantly headed on the deck and jumped off. Once they did, Cid flew off. As they gotten closer to the entrance, the Void began sucking them in. "WAH!" Sora screamed, getting sucked in first.

"Sora!" Terra said.

The rest of the group was sucked into the darkness…

* * *

_Unknown location, somewhere in the Void…_

Aqua woke up to find herself in what looked like the middle of a forest. She looked around and saw that everyone else had disappeared. "Terra? Ven? Sora? Anyone?" she asked, hoping for a response.

She got up and started walking around, looking for the others. Instead, she found Lucrecia, who was stuck in a tree.

"Um, Aqua? Is that you?" Lucrecia asked.

"Yeah, can't you get down?" Aqua asked.

"Um…no…No, I can't…" Lucrecia said, looking down.

'She's afraid of heights?' Aqua asked.

"Okay, I'll help you," Aqua told her.

She summoned a gust of wind and helped the former Shinra doctor down. Once on the ground, Lucrecia asked, "You haven't seen the others?"

Aqua was about to reply when a roar was heard. "What was that?" Aqua said.

Lucrecia pulled out the stone Asura gave her and saw that it was pulsating with the same light that came from the crystals she found years ago. "He's near…" she said.

Aqua looked up and saw something flying in the skies. "Hide," she said.

The two hid behind some trees and saw the creature land about 140 feet in front of them. It roared loudly and started slashing out at nothing. Lucrecia looked and saw that the reaction of the stone had gotten stronger. 'No…' she muttered.

"Is that…?" Aqua whispered.

Lucrecia nodded and whispered, "Chaos…"

Chaos's appearance had gotten worse and all traces of his human appearance was gone, looking more like a giant black and red gargoyle with yellow eyes and scars on his body. A dark red aura came from him and it seeped out of him like mist. He roared, as if something was there that wasn't. Seconds later, he quieted down, a low growl coming from him.

"What is he doing…?" Aqua whispered.

Lucrecia shrugged and saw that Chaos had started to calm down. She was confused until she saw the proto-materia glowing brightly. 'This is calming him?' Lucrecia thought.

Putting the sealing stone away and taking out the proto-materia, Lucrecia came out of her hiding place. "What are you doing?' Aqua said.

"The materia….it calms him…Maybe he'll recognize me," Lucrecia said.

"I don't think so. He's practically a monster now!" Aqua said.

When she noticed how loud she was, Aqua muttered, "Aw, crap…"

Chaos had heard them and turned around. He growled as he saw Lucrecia. With bravery (or bravado), Lucrecia stood her ground as she saw Chaos hovering towards her. "Dr. Lucrecia…" Aqua said, afraid for the woman's life.

Once Chaos was ten feet from her, Lucrecia lifted up the materia. He looked at it and back at her. As if wondering who she was, the creature started studying her. "You really don't remember me, do you?" Lucrecia asked him.

With his head tilted, Chaos looked at her, confused. As if he was bored, Chaos beat his wings and flew off. Lucrecia was confused and said, "What happened?"

"I don't know, but I'd rather not go after him, not until we find the others," Aqua said.

* * *

_Unknown location, the Void…_

Terra woke up to find himself in what looked like an inn. Ventus and Roxas were in beds near him and he looked around. "Where's Aqua and the others?" he asked.

"Oh, you're awake," someone said.

Terra saw a woman wearing what looked like an ancient white mages outfit. Her face was covered as well as the rest of her body. "Who are you?" Terra said.

"No one of importance. But…I did find you three collapsed outside of the town," the woman said.

"Town?" Terra asked.

"You really aren't from here, are you?" the woman asked.

Terra shook his head and the woman said, with a giggle, "Well, you're in Mirage. This place has been here since…well, since. The innocent who accidentally fall here arrive here first. Those criminals from the World of Light usually arrive outside of the desert…and are killed by that demon creature that arrived here awhile back."

'"Demon creature...? Chaos?' Terra thought.

Roxas and Ven stirred awake and saw Terra. "Ow…" Ven said, holding his shoulder.

"You landed on your shoulder. I managed to use some white magic on it," the woman said.

"'Magic'?" Ven said.

"Yes…well, that's what we call it," the woman said.

"Where are we?" Roxas asked.

Terra explained and after the explanation, the four heard a roar. The roar sounded like Chaos' and the woman said, "There must be a criminal nearby. That monster does that a lot…"

"What if he's attacking Aqua?" Ven asked.

Terra got out of bed and the woman said, "Wait, your wounds aren't fully healed!"

"We'll be fine," Terra said and the three left.

Outside, they saw that the town of Mirage was in the middle of a desert. There were few inhabitants and they all had a dazed look about them. "Let's get out of here," Terra said.

The three headed for the town exit and saw that the townspeople had blocked it off. "Didn't I tell you that your wounds need healing?" someone said.

The group saw that the woman from before had came outside and was walking towards them. The other townsfolk surrounded them and the boys went into a defensive stance. "You're not leaving so soon, are you?" the woman said.

"If we say yeah?" Terra asked.

The woman took off her face covering and the townspeople disappeared. The town disappeared as well, revealing the place as a monster's den, and the woman started glowing with an unholy light. When the light died down, the woman was revealed to be a half-snake, half-human monster called a Lamia Queen.

"Er…" Ven said.

"Um…" Roxas said, confused.

"Kinda weird looking," Terra said, not impressed.

"I was thinking the same," Roxas said.

"Me too. Half snake. I thought she was going to be like a super monster or something," Ven added.

Instead of fighting her, the three ignored her. "So, she made an illusion just to turn into that?" Ven asked.

"Hey! I'm right here! And I'm not weird-looking!" the Lamia Queen yelled.

"Yes you are. A half-lady, half-snake…Weird…" Roxas said.

The monster, now angered, breathed in deeply and blew out a weird, pink mist. The mist hit the boys and they were paralyzed. "Ha! That's what you light dwellers get!" the monster yelled.

The Lamia Queen shrieked and more lamias appeared. "My children…I bring you…" the Lamia Queen said.

She was interrupted when she heard a roar. The lamias slithered off and the monster gasped, screamed, "Chaos…! He's coming for me!"

She was about to slither off as well when Chaos had landed behind her. He roared and the Lamia said, "Um…I was just getting dinner!"

Chaos slashed her in the face and the Lamia shrieked. He was about to slash her again when the Lamia smacked him with her tail. Chaos staggered back and the Lamia hissed at him. Immediately after doing that, the Lamia bit Chaos and performed an ability called "Bloodfeast." The ability began sapping his health while restoring the lamia's.

That caused for Chaos to go into a berserker rage. He pushed her off and started repeatedly slashing the monster in a vengeful rage. After about 20 hits, the Lamia Queen staggered and chanted something. She then collapsed to the ground and turned to ash.

The other lesser Lamia from before came out of their hiding places and attempted to attack Chaos. Chaos, using as much energy as he possibly could, unleashed an explosion of dark energy. That wiped out all of the monsters.

Before the explosion could hit them, Terra's guardian appeared and used itself as a shield for the group. When the explosion died down, the guardian disappeared and Terra saw that Chaos had changed back to Vincent.

Vincent, utterly exhausted, fainted. The paralysis wore off and the three headed over to the unconscious Vincent. He had a pained look on his face and Roxas asked, "What do we do?"

"Well, we can't move him…" Ven said.

"And…we're supposed to seal him until we find…" Terra said.

Vincent's body had pulsated, scaring Ven and Roxas. They hid behind Terra and he said, "Great. Just leave me to deal with Chaos."

To their surprise, nothing happened. His body pulsated again and Vincent woke up. His red eyes were glowing and Terra was sure that he was going to attack. Instead, he was seemingly still exhausted.

Terra, Ven and Roxas backed away and saw that Vincent had gotten up. He staggered and collapsed onto the ground again. "I don't think he's going to attack," Ven said.

With trepidation, Terra was the first to carefully walk up. "Vincent…?" he said.

Vincent looked at him with tired eyes and they told the whole story. 'He's weak enough that he won't attack. So, what can we do? We can't leave him or else we can't go home,' Terra thought.

The young man made his decision and helped Vincent up. That scared the twins. "What are you doing?" Roxas yelled.

"Aren't we supposed to…?" Ven asked.

"We can't leave him, especially not here," Terra said.

"But if he attacks…?" Roxas asked.

"He's not. Just look at him," Terra said.

The twins looked at the older man and saw that he looked as if he was in a daze. "We'll just find Lucrecia and the others and see what happens," Terra said.

"Luc…Lucre…L-Lucrecia?" Vincent said.

"We'll take you to her, but you have to make sure that you don't try to attack us," Terra said.

"A-attack?" Vincent asked.

"You can't attack us because we can lead you to Lucrecia," Terra told him.

Vincent was silent and Terra believed that he understood him. Slowly, the group headed north, towards the Neverending Forest.

* * *

_With Aqua and Lucrecia…_

The two found Sora and Eraqus and the two didn't find Chaos anywhere. Sora actually preferred it that way. When Aqua asked why, Sora replied with, "He did try to eat me!"

"Eat you?" Lucrecia asked.

"Yeah, he tried to eat me, but I ran away before he could," Sora said.

'Why would he do that?' Lucrecia thought.

"Well, we must find him and seal him away, just as Lady Asura asked," Eraqus said.

"But what if that's not the answer?" Lucrecia asked him.

"Well, we have nothing else. I don't think Chaos will willingly have us put the materia back in him," Aqua said.

The sealing stone that Lucrecia held started glowing and she said, "He came back here?"

The group of four then saw that Terra, Ven and Roxas had came back. Vincent was with them and he had a dazed look on his face. "Vincent…" Lucrecia said.

She ran up to him and he saw her coming. He then collapsed and she caught him. "Luc…Luc…Lucre…" he managed to say.

"It's okay…I'm here," Lucrecia said.

Vincent had looked content with her and the group started wondering when Lucrecia would seal him. Eraqus then said what the party was thinking. "Lucrecia, seal him," he said.

Vincent suddenly tensed up and Lucrecia said, "But…There must be another way."

The party was suddenly pushed back and heard Vincent growl. His eyes were now glowing a bright red and Terra said, "Why did you say that?"

"That what she has to do. Do it now before he regains his strength!" Eraqus yelled.

"I…I can't!" Lucrecia said.

Vincent had pulsated again and doubled over. Within moments, he roared, Chaos coming back. The group, minus Lucrecia, readied themselves for a fight.

"Vincent! We don't want to fight you! We just want to help!" Lucrecia yelled.

Chaos had roared again and started changing Vincent's shape. Within moments, Chaos had fully emerged. But something was off. He wasn't at full strength.

Noticing this, Eraqus yelled, "Lucrecia, if you love him, seal him now!"

Lucrecia, with tears, lifted the sealing stone and it activated. A wind with vacuum force started pulling Chaos in and he tried flying away. When he did, the stone flew out of Lucrecia's hands and followed Chaos.

The creature, with the last ounce of his strength, tried to fly off once more. It didn't work and, while roaring, was absorbed into the stone. The stone fell to the ground and Lucrecia picked it up.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered.

The stone suddenly turned to crystal and the light from it transported the group back to the manor. There, they saw that Maria Theresa, Shelke and Asura. The three looked relieved and Asura said, "You have done well. Now, the cryst…please."

Lucrecia held the crystal close to her and Asura said, "Lakshmi, please. We must put the cryst in a seal. Unless you have a better alternative."

Lucrecia gave the crystal to Asura and the woman said, "I will come back once you all have the other half of the materia. I must quickly seal him, lest he escape and started destroying this world."

She was about to leave when Lucrecia said, "Wait…You said something about us not remembering something about Chaos. What did he do?"

"He…He killed…all of you, except for you Lakshmi, and destroyed Giruvegan. You did not go to the Realm of Darkness as everyone thought, but you headed for the old town of Cornelia. He entered the Realm of Darkness, thinking that you were there. He wanted to bring you back to the city. Valigarmanda, you were there when he entered," Asura said in the old language.

"I was…?" Aqua said.

"Yes. You and Fenrir. You two tried to stop him, but he was stubborn. He did not listen and headed into that world. Something happened to him there and when you all rescued him…he was not the same…He changed."

"When we Fal'Cie tried to stop him from going back into the Realm of Darkness to find you, Lakshmi, he…went berserk that night and killed Phoenix first. He then started killing everyone, from the youngest l'Cie to the eldest. We managed to get only a few hundred residents out of the city safely, your ancestors in a way. After we did, we had to face Chaos ourselves."

"Since he knew the art of war, he knew how to defeat most of us alone. So, we tried a combined effort. It worked and we managed to weaken him. After two days of nonstop fighting, we were able to seal him away. But before we could, Chaos had managed to release his soul before the seal could take hold. When the first of the seals was created, I…took his heart, well what was left of it, and turned it into the proto-materia that you now hold. It was the last vestige of light in him and I did not want it tainted."

"The second of the seals took hold then and Chaos was turned into crystal. The Lord Father, Bahamut, then shattered the crystal to dust and tossed the remains into the waters…Thus his body was destroyed, but not his power…" Asura explained.

Noticing their faces of shock, Asura said in the modern language, "That is why I did not want to tell you. The memory…it is a retched one."

The woman then disappeared, taking the crystal with her. "How long have you known, Maria?" Lucrecia asked.

"I knew…I started remembering things of Giruvegan after the car crash…" Maria Theresa said.

"Why didn't you say anything?" Aqua asked.

"Because it wasn't my place…and…it wouldn't have changed anything. Knowledge about that day won't help us avert the disaster that war will bring. And…I wasn't hiding it…That day…it's just too hard to talk about," Maria Theresa said.

"But, Vincent, he…!" Terra said.

"He didn't know. He has no memories of Giruvegan. When he was sealed, his mind, body and most of his powers were sealed away. That included his memory. When Bahamut destroyed the body, only the mind and his powers were left. When he was reincarnated as Vincent, he only had a fragment of his former power, but no memories," Maria Theresa said.

"But something happened in that realm that made him lose it. He wouldn't just go around killing about 2 million people within two days for no reason," Aqua said.

"You're right. But what was it?" Maria Theresa said.

After pondering it for a while, the headmistress gave orders. Shelke and Lucrecia were to find the location of the other proto-materia half. The others were to keep training and hope they could find the materia before it was too late.

* * *

_Giruvegan, the Great Crystal…_

Asura, after arriving at the lowest levels of the ruined city, saw that the Lord Father, Bahamut, and several other of the Fal'Cie had gathered. One of them, Leviathan, was angered and said in the language of Giruvegan, "Like a mongrel pup, I cannot be summoned by you, Asura."

"I did not. The Lord Father did," Asura said in the same language.

"Summoned us, why did you?" Ramuh asked.

"Chaos…" Bahamut said.

"What? Chaos? Sealed him we did in times long passed away," another Fal'Cie, Ixion, said.

"Yes, and we must seal him once more as the seals were destroyed by his willpower…and the humes curiosity," Asura said.

"What? The first time we did, we vowed that he would be imprisoned forever!" another Fal'Cie, Kraken, yelled.

"An unforeseen circumstance arose. He managed to give up his soul before the seal could take him," Asura said.

"Been captured, has he?" Ramuh asked.

Asura nodded and showed the Fal'Cie the crystal that held Chaos. "We must act before he releases himself," Kraken said.

"Yes, we must act now. Asura," Bahamut said.

Asura placed the crystal in the center and the Fal'Cie started chanting. A seal of many elements was placed around the crystal and it started pulsating with reddish light. The light grew stronger, as if it was trying to dissipate the seal. After several tries, the crystal, now suspended in midair, stopped.

"Now…He should never escape this seal," Bahamut said.

The Fal'Cie left the Great Crystal, leaving behind the small crystal containing Chaos. Once they were gone, the crystal began to crack and a roar was heard.

* * *

_Wow, this is a pretty long chapter. So, where did Hojo put the proto-materia? And what's gonna happen if they don't find it?_

_-miano53_


	19. Chapter Eighteen

"_There are many hidden riddles about the lost city of Giruvegan. Some have been passed down via songs, poems and even stories. One of the riddles goes as this: 'On the farthest shores of the river of time, shrouded deep in the rolling mist, the holy land sleeps: Giruvegan.' Where is this 'river of time'? And what is 'mist'? All of my findings have come to no answer…Shinra has sent satellites to the harshest climes of the world and still have found nothing after so many years."_

_-an excerpt from Dr. Valentine's writings_

Chapter Eighteen: Remembrance

_Shinra Headdquarters, Midgar, September 3rd…_

Dr. Hojo walked into President Shinra's office and was very happy as he had plans for a new "project". When he arrived, he met with the directors and the president. "Hojo, I hope this new project of yours is worth our 100 million," President Shinra said.

"Yes, yes! It's worth every penny. As we are at war with almost every nation in the western hemisphere, we have need of a new weapon. The Specials' program is good, but other countries are using their Specials as well. We need to create a weapon that they wouldn't dare to create," Hojo said.

"Meaning," Director Scarlet asked.

"Meaning we need to use the Special to their full potential. On their own, they are mediocre at best…But…if we could force them to go to their full potential…" Hojo said.

"Are you saying…we turn our Specials into weapons?" Director Heiddeger asked.

"Not just regular Specials. The most powerful of all Specials will fulfill our needs. Two of them recently defected from Shinra to goddess-knows-where," Hojo said.

Director Lazard knew who they were and said nothing. "So, we capture them how…?" President Shinra asked.

"We use this," Hojo said, showing his half of the proto-materia.

The board of directors looked pleased and agreed to fund Hojo's newest project.

* * *

_Antonelli's School of Special Arts, Lucrecia's room…_

Lucrecia looked out the window and saw that the younger students were outside and playing. Remembering things of days long past, she said, "So young…So innocent…"

Within moments, she heard the sound of someone knocking at the door. "Who is it?" she asked.

"Um…" Naminé said, peeking her head through a crack in the door.

"You can come in," Lucrecia said.

The girl came in with a notebook and some colored pencils. "What is it?" Lucrecia asked her.

"Um…Well, Shelke's looking for the proto-materia now…and everyone else is training…" Naminé said.

"And you have nothing to do?" Lucrecia asked.

Naminé nodded and Lucrecia allowed her to sit on the bed. "I was wondering…if you can tell me anything that you remember from Giruvegan. The rest of us don't remember much…but I can tell that you…do," Naminé said.

"Yes. I remember some things. What do you want to know?" Lucrecia asked.

"How did you meet…Vincent when he was…you know," Naminé said.

Lucrecia smiled and said, "Well, from what I remember…in that life…I was called Lakshmi and I met him when I was four…"

* * *

_Long, long ago, Molech-kittem era, Giruvegan…_

_In the ancient, coastal mega-city of Giruvegan, the four year old Lakshmi (daughter of Lord Vishnu and Lady Saraswati) ran away from her guardian, Madam Brunhilda. She ran through the streets that rainy day and saw that Brunhilda was chasing after her. "You can't catch me!" Lakshmi yelled._

"_Lady Lakshmi! Get back here!" Brunhilda yelled._

_The girl quickly went into one of the parks near the coastline and Bruhilda followed soon after. Lakshmi, thinking that she was playing hide-and-seek with her guardian, hid in one of the tunnels and giggled. _

"_Lakshmi! Lakshmi!" Brunhilda yelled._

_Lakshmi watched as her guardian walk through the park and said, "She won't find me here."_

_She immediately went silent as she heard a shudder. The girl turned to her right and saw on the other side of the tunnel another kid. His short, unkempt, raven hair covered his face and he wore tattered clothes. His feet were bare and his skin was quite pale. He shivered as the day was rather cold._

_Lakshmi crawled closer to him and said, "Are you okay?"_

_The boy quickly turned to see her and backed away. He backed near the slide and Lakshmi said, "I'm not going to hurt you or anything."_

_The boy suddenly snarled at her, scaring Lakshmi. That alerted Brunhilda and she rushed over to Lakshmi's location. She climbed up the ladder and saw Lakshmi hiding in a tunnel. The boy that Lakshmi had found was trembling and growling was heard._

"_Lakshmi…come here," Brunhilda said._

_Lakshmi ran over to her and the two climbed down. After Lakshmi was on the ground, Brunhilda climbed back up and looked at the boy. He looked at her and went into a fetal position. _

"_Are you lost?" she asked him._

_He didn't respond. "I could call the guard to find your parents," Brunhilda told him._

_The boy immediately shook his head and she told him, "Well, you can't stay out here. You'll freeze and starve."_

_Seeing that he didn't move, Brunhilda said, "I'll call the guard."_

_She, with little Lakshmi, went and found the Giruvegan guard. But by the time they arrived, the boy was gone._

* * *

"So, did you find him?" Naminé asked, finishing her drawing of what Lucrecia told her.

Lucrecia saw it and said, "Wow. That's exactly how the park looked like. Just like the modern parks but the lamps were powered by crystals."

"You didn't answer my question," Naminé said.

"I'm about to tell you," Lucrecia said.

* * *

_After spending another hour trying to find the boy, Brunhilda and Lakshmi headed back to Lord Vishnu's compound in the northeastern side of the city. When they had arrived via air car, they saw the same boy from before. One of the staff rushed over to Brunhilda and said, "We don't know how he managed to bypass security, but he refuses to move off the porch."_

_Brunhilda looked at the boy and saw that his was still visibly shaking. "Lord Vishnu's not going to like this…" she said._

_She walked up to him and the boy suddenly looked at her. He tensed up as she walked closer and started growling. "I'm not going to hurt you…We just need to know why are you on Lord Vishnu's property," Brunhilda said._

_The boy said nothing and was still completely tensed. So, Lakshmi walked over to him and said, "She's not a bad guy. She's very nice. She's watching over me while my parents are away."_

_The boy started calming down and looked directly at her. "Do you have a name?" Lakshmi asked him._

_The boy looked down and said nothing. Noticing the time, Brunhilda said, "Let's go inside. We'll talk there."_

_They went inside and arrived in the vestibule. From the vestibule, they headed for the guest room. When they arrived, Brunhilda had closed the door and the boy's immediate reaction was heavy breathing. _

_Lakshmi, who had sat down on one of the couches, said, "What's wrong?"_

_The child got up and rushed over to the door. He panicked and started clawing at the door handle. Brunhilda saw this and said, "Stop that! You'll scratch it up!"_

_The boy suddenly glared at her and an inhuman roar came out of him. That took her aback and Lakshmi screamed. He growled and opened the door. Once the door was opened, he suddenly became docile._

_His breathing went back to normal and Brunhilda said, "I don't know what that was, but…NEVER DO THAT AGAIN!"_

_The boy looked up and her and immediately looked down at the ground, as if guilty for what he did. Lakshmi, frightened, said, "Um…I-I'll go to bed…"_

_She then got up from the couch and ran off. Brunhilda looked at the boy and said, "What am I going to do with you?"_

_She thought about it and said, "I guess we'll have to speak with the Fal'Cie…"_

* * *

"So, did she?" Naminé asked.

"She did. And…they weren't pleased…" Lucrecia said.

* * *

_The next day, Brunhilda had spoken with the leader of the Fal'Cie, a man named Neo Bahamut VI. He sent one of the other elders, Ramuh, to the compound and he saw the boy. Sitting at the kitchen table of Lord Vishnu's part of the estate with Lakshmi and Brunhilda, Ramuh saw that the boy was given colored pencils and paper to draw on._

_The images on the paper were that of the boy and his parents. His parents looked like the scientists of Giruvegan and the two's faces were that of happy ones. The boy's face in the picture was that of a sad one. There was also the image of what looked like the interior of a lab and another that looked like menacing machines._

_After looking at the pictures, Ramuh asked, "Child, thy name, what is it?"_

_The boy said nothing and kept drawing. "Distrusts us, it seems," Ramuh said._

_One of the drawings the boy had finished had some writing on it. Lakshmi took the paper and said, "Ch..Choa…Chai…How do you say…?"_

"…_Chaos…What kind of name is that?" Brunhilda said._

_The boy looked up at her and stared at her intently. "I don't like that name. How about…um…'Chao'! That's a much better name! Like the show 'Hey-O'!" Lakshmi said._

"_I like the name as well. From now on, we'll call you that, so no glaring, growling, snarling, hissing or roaring when we call you that," Brunhilda told the boy._

_The boy, now known as 'Chao', said nothing and a small smile was on his face. "He likes the name!" Lakshmi said._

"_To the council, I must goeth. Speaketh of this, I will," Ramuh said and left._

* * *

After drawing the images she sensed from the memories, Naminé asked, "So…?"

"He spoke with them and they weren't too happy. They said something about arresting his parents for treason and next thing I knew, Brunhilda was given custody over him," Lucrecia told her.

"So…he became her son?" Naminé asked.

Lucrecia nodded and continued her tale (based on what Brunhilda told her ages ago).

* * *

_After getting custody of Chao, Brunhilda had arrived home…to see that Chao had did something very wrong. He managed to destroy the small living room in her part of the estate (a small house that was given to her). "Gah…" was all she could say._

_Her husband, a man named Ifrit II, came home from his training at the Giruvegan borders and saw the destruction. He looked at Brunhilda and asked, "What happened?"_

"_I…don't…CHAO!" she said._

_There was no response. "Who's that?" Ifrit asked her._

"_He's…Well, I…The Fal'Cie told us that we had to watch over this little five year old boy…" Brunhilda told him._

_Ifrit looked at her and said, "We can't keep him if he's this destructive."_

"_He wasn't properly raised by his parents. You remember Dr. Zemus and his wife, Madam Shemhazai?" Brunhilda asked._

_Ifrit nodded and Brunhilda explained how the two believed they were betrayed by the Fal'Cie. So, they started a project known as Project Chaos. The project, according to the Fal'Cie Yojimbo, was to created one of the l'Cie as a semi-weapon to destroy the Fal'Cie. Then, and only then, will the l'Cie will be "free to choose the destiny for their homeland" as Dr. Zemus put it. _

_After the explanation, Ifrit asked, "So, the child is…? His name is?"_

"_His name is Chaos. So, that means he's the semi-weapon they created…They used their own son as an experiment," Brunhilda said._

"_Well, Hilda…He's still a l'Cie. He's still human even though he's supposed to be a weapon…" Ifrit told her._

"_So…we…could…We can change that…He doesn't have to destroy the Fal'Cie…" Brunhilda said, thinking aloud._

_A bump was heard and interrupted the woman's thoughts. Ifrit was the first to head towards the sound and saw that Chao had hid under the bed of their room. When he found him, the boy suddenly started tensing up. He backed away and started growling._

"_Chao…Chao…Don't worry. He's not going to harm you…Come out…" Brunhilda told him._

_Trusting her, but having a severe distrust of Ifrit, Chao slowly came out from under the bed. Brunhilda walked over to him and bent down to his level. "This is Ifrit…He's my husband and together we'll watch over you," she said to him._

_Chao looked at Ifrit and back at Brunhilda. Remembering her destroyed living room, Brunhilda asked, "Did you destroy the living room?"_

_The boy looked down and nodded. "Why?" Brunhilda asked._

_He was silent and Ifrit said, "What's wrong? Why isn't he saying anything?"_

"_I don't think he can…His parents only taught him one thing: how to be a weapon," Brunhilda said._

"_Bah…This is bad. First I come home after days of training near the Feywood! Next, my house is practically destroyed! Now we have a semi-weapon in our home that can't speak to save his life and was the one that destroyed the living room…Why us, Fal'Cie! Why?" Ifrit yelled, storming off._

_Brunhilda shook her head and said as calmly as she could, "Chao…You can't just destroy things just for the heck of it. We had things that meant a lot to us in there."_

"_He got my Oldies' collection! He destroyed the Oldies…" Ifrit yelled from the living room._

_His wife shook her head again and said, "See what I mean? If someone had came in and destroyed something of yours, you'd be mad too."_

_Chao looked at her confused and Brunhilda said, "When you actually own something of value, you'll know the feeling when someone destroys it. But you can't just do that, okay? Do you understand?"_

_The boy nodded his head once and Brunhilda said, "You'll stay on this compound with us and the Lord and Lady. So, no outbursts…That means no growling, hissing, snarling, roaring or even clawing at someone."_

* * *

"He stayed with her? That was nice of her…even though he could've hurt them…" Naminé said.

"Yes. She was a caring soul…She even started teaching him how to read and write. When it came to speech, it was as if he refused…He knew how, but it was that he just downright refused…Until one day…" Lucrecia said.

Before she could finish, the two heard Maria Theresa's voice. "Everyone, to the living room. We have much to discuss," she told them telepathically.

* * *

_Living room…_

After everyone arrived in the living room, Maria Theresa said, "Well, we've found the location of the other half of the proto-materia. It is in Junon Harbor. Apparently, they intend to use it as a power source for the cannon there."

"Why?" Aqua asked.

"Well, they are supposed to use the cannon against any enemy naval vessels that come near the harbor. But I didn't find any real use for the proto-materia," Shelke said.

"And I haven't had any dreams about what is to come…This is quite suspicious of Shinra…We must get the proto-materia back. It will be dangerous, so Aqua, Terra, Cloud, Tifa, Zack and Aerith. Most of you know your way around Junon Harbor, correct?" Maria Theresa said.

"Yeah, but…what if we get caught?" Aqua asked.

"Then use your powers at its' fullest extent," Maria Theresa said.

"I'm going too," Lucrecia said.

"But…you're not a fighter…" Tifa told her.

"I know that, but it's my duty to find it and give it to Vincent…I owe him that much," Lucrecia said.

Maria Theresa shook her head and said to the younger students, "School will still resume, despite the absence of some of our own."

"Gaw…" the students said.

Everyone was then dismissed and the team of seven began preparing themselves for the next day.

* * *

_11 p.m., Maria Theresa's bedroom…_

After putting the younger students to bed and checking up on the team that was to head to Junon, the headmistress headed back to her room and sat on the bed. She looked out the window and saw that the night sky was clear. A bit saddened, as she was still recovering from the loss of her husband, Maria Theresa thought, 'Nathan…I hope you're looking down on us…Make sure Aqua stays safe…'

She then came out of her thoughts and saw what looked like a bright star. Wondering what it was, the older woman headed out onto the upper deck adjacent to her room. Maria Theresa looked at it and saw that it was getting brighter.

"A comet?" she said.

The "comet" raced towards her and she saw that it wasn't a cosmic phenomenon. It was a creature in the shape of a firebird. The firebird hovered in front of her and Maria Theresa said, "You…"

The firebird disappeared, revealing the woman who was Maria Theresa's twin. Hovering in the air, she looked at her and said, "Is that anyway to speak to your older sister, Maria?"

"Anna Lucia…how did you…?" Maria Theresa said.

"How did I escape the Void? I found a little crystal inside the chest of a man I know that you know…That monster…" Anna Lucia said.

"Vincent…What did you do?" Maria Theresa asked.

Instead of answering her question, the older twin transported themselves to what looked like an open field. The only light in the area was the moonlight and Anna Lucia said, "Well, this looks like a fine spot."

"For what?' Maria Theresa said.

"When I was trapped there, by your doing, I vowed that I would get my revenge for what you did to me…those 25 years ago…" Anna Lucia said.

"What did I…? What? That? I was an accident! And I told you repeatedly that I was sorry! I didn't know that the road was going to be iced out! I didn't know the car was going to skid off that mountain!" Maria Theresa said.

"Can the words 'I'm sorry' bring back the dead? You killed my husband and two of my four children! I told you that it was a terrible idea to try to go to that manor of yours in the middle of an ice storm! But you didn't listen to me! You said after Father died that you would listen to me! But you lied and killed off the majority of my family!" Anna Lucia said.

"And you killed my husband by giving him that cancer! And you almost killed my daughter with disintegration! Haven't we both suffered enough?" Maria Theresa said.

"No!" Anna Lucia yelled.

Maria Theresa sighed and saw that Anna Lucia had turned into a firebird. The headmistress did the same and said, "I guess we have to settle this."

"Yes, let's," Anna Lucia said.

The twins then started to fight, a very vicious fight.

* * *

_Wow. So that's why Anna Lucia was so desperate to leave the Void. So, who will win the fight? Will the Junon team find the proto-materia? Will there be a trap waiting for them? Will Hojo ever have proper people skills? Will there be more TerraxAqua scenes? Why am I asking so many questions again? *"Just end it!" a reader yells.* Okay, okay! I was going for humor! Okay, leave your reviews, please. Pretty please?_

_-miano53_


	20. Chapter Nineteen

"_Just like most summon spirits, Chaos, the spirit of discord (formerly the suppressor of disorder) has many stories about him as well. It goes like this: "Chaos, the harbinger of destruction, awakened during times of great strife and turmoil to bring the world to its destined end". Another of the stories included him being the harbinger of death to those who wish to bring disorder and destruction to the world. I wonder…why do all the ancient stories seem to contradict each other?"_

_-a student at Radiant Garden University_

Chapter Nineteen: Junon

_Giruvegan, Great Crystal…_

Asura, after sensing something wrong in the Great Crystal, rushed over to the place where Chaos was sealed. When she arrived, the crystal he was trapped in had shattered. Kraken and Levianthan, who had went to check the seal earlier, were on the ground, unconscious.

"Oh no…" Asura said.

Growling was heard behind her and Asura turned around to see that Chaos had managed to escape. The feral creature roared at her and Asura went into a defensive stance. To her surprise, instead of attacking, Chaos had flown off.

"Lord Father! He's escaping!" Asura yelled.

As Chaos flew away, trying to get out of the crystal dungeon, the crystals reacted and aimed themselves at him. The crystals then flew at him like sharp arrows. Some of the crystals cut parts of Chaos' wings. After being hit repeatedly by the crystals, Chaos had managed to escape the Great Crystal.

In the underground area of Giruvegan, Chaos saw that the Fal'Cie had put up barriers around the Gate of Water and the Water Steps. He growled and channeled energy into himself. With a roar, he blasted through the barriers and headed for the surface.

Asura, who left the Crystal, saw this and said, "Bahamut, nothing's working! He's gotten too strong!"

Once at the surface, Chaos saw that Bahamut had summoned a gigas to destroy him. With a sneer, the creature disintegrated the beast with a blast of dark energy. After roaring with triumph, Chaos flew off and destroyed the Gigas Gate.

Bahamut, Asura, Ramuh and Shiva (the Fal'Cie of Ice) saw that and said, "Only the Creator can help us now…"

Outside of Giruvegan, in the Feywood, Chaos had looked around as if he was trying to find someone…or something. Feeling someone calling him, he flew off, heading for Junon Harbor…

* * *

_September 4th, Junon Harbor, 5 p.m.…_

After arriving via dark corridor, the team sent to Junon noticed that the entire city was being attacked. "Huh…That's weird," Terra said.

"What?" Aqua asked.

"Wonder who's attacking this time," Tifa said.

"It could be Genesis," Zack said.

Cloud and Aerith looked down around and saw Genesis copies attacking Shinra troops. "Yep, it's Genesis," Cloud said.

"Well, this is a good distraction. We'll head to the cannon as two separate groups to avoid attention. Zack, Aerith and Cloud will be the first group. Aqua, me and Tifa will be the second group. Now one of our groups has to protect Dr. Lucrecia so she can get the proto-materia," Terra said.

"We'll do it. But, before we go…Aqua," Cloud said.

"On it," Aqua said. Her eyes turned ice blue and a fog covered the city.

"Alright, let's go," Terra said.

The groups then left the alley, heading for the Junon Cannon.

* * *

_With Terra, Aqua, and Tifa…_

The two ran through the streets of Junon and saw that the Shinra troops and Genesis copies were confused by the sudden appearance of fog. The fog was so dense that the opposing sides didn't see the group pass them on their way to the cannon. Once the small group had arrived at what looked like the entrance to the cannon site, they saw feathers of white fall from the sky.

Aqua smiled as she knew who it was. She then lifted a bit of the fog and Tifa saw that Angeal had arrived. "Angeal? I thought you were…" she said to him.

"M.I.A.? From Shinra, yes. From everything else, no," Angeal said.

"Who's this?" Terra asked.

"Angeal. He was our commanding officer in Shinra, until he defected while on a mission in Qing," Aqua said.

Seeing that Angeal had the inquiring look, Aqua immediately said, "Angeal, this is Terra Dal Monte. Terra, this is Angeal Hewley."

The two nodded and Tifa asked, "What are you doing here?"

"Helping you. It's quite obvious that Genesis isn't going back to Shinra. So, I quit and he ordered the attack on Junon Harbor, apparently for the destruction of the cannon," Angeal said.

Aqua and Tifa's face went pale and Angeal asked, "Wait…you're not…you're not here for that too?"

The young women nodded and Angeal said, "I'll help then. I heard that Shinra's…"

The four then heard a roar and a wave of energy pushed back the fog. Seeing that the Shinra troops had saw them, Aqua grabbed Terra and started flying up. Angeal did the same with Tifa and the two fliers had flown off to one of the nearby rooftops.

There, they saw what looked like a gargolye-like creature flying through the skies. "No way…" Terra said.

"What is that?" Angeal asked.

"Chaos…But how did he…?" Aqua said.

"'Chaos'? The summon spirit?" Angeal asked.

Aqua nodded and said, "And he looks rather angry…"

On the ground the Shinra troops saw him and started shooting at Chaos. Chaos was hit in his right arm and his rage was evident. The creature roared and massive wave of energy wiped out the troops.

Seeing that the energy wave was heading towards them, Aqua grabbed Terra again and started flying off. Angeal did the same with Tifa and the two flew towards the skies. There, they saw that the nearby buildings had turned to dust, but the cannon was unaffected.

Everyone saw that a shield had covered the cannon as Chaos had attempted to ram into it. "Someone must've turned on the generators…This'll be harder than I thought," Angeal said.

"All we have to do is knock out the generator's power, right?" Terra said.

"But we have the Shinra army to deal with," Aqua said.

"And Chaos," Tifa added.

"Then take us to the top of the cannon. We can try to infiltrate there," Terra said.

Angeal sighed, thinking it was going to be a bad idea. With hesitation, he followed through on the request.

* * *

_With Cloud, Zack, Aerith and Lucrecia…_

The four had managed to infiltrate the Shinra building where the Junon Cannon was located. Since there was an attack going on by Genesis copies, the halls were empty. Lucrecia, seeing this as an opportune moment, led the group into one of the labs. There, she started hacking into one of the computers on information about the second half of the proto-materia.

"The material's in…Oh, it's still in the VP's office," Lucrecia said.

"We'll get it," Zack said, taking Cloud with him.

The two rushed towards the VP's office, knowing that he wasn't going to be in the building during an attack this large a scale. When they arrived at the VP's office, a steel blade was pressed on Zack's back.

"Showing your back to the enemy…I thought they taught you better than that at basic training," someone said.

"Crap…" the two said, knowing who it was. They turned around to see someone very familiar.

Apparently, Sephiroth was ordered to guard the materia. He glared at them and immediately started attacking. Zack and Cloud defended themselves with their swords, but Zack was quickly low kicked by Sephiroth, falling to the ground.

Sephiroth then turned his attention on Cloud. He slashed at the younger man and Cloud tried his best to defend himself. The two then locked blades and Zack tried to charge at Sephiroth. The man heard him and blasted him with a bolt of lightning.

"Ow…" Zack said.

"Sephiroth! Stop it!" Cloud yelled, still locking blades with the senior officer.

"Why? You're traitors. And traitors are to be executed, no exceptions," Sephiroth said.

"Are you really hearing yourself right now? You're not that kind of guy. You've made exceptions before. Especially with those you know!" Zack said, recovering.

He tried charging again and Sephiroth pushed Cloud back to swipe at the guy. Cloud joined in the fight and Sephiroth traded blows with the two. The struggle was a bitter one and the fight started destroying parts of the hallway.

During the struggle, the three were oblivious to what was happening outside. Instead, they proceeded to beat the living heck out of each other. Cloud received cuts to his back and arms. Zack was cut in the face and had several on his arms and legs. Sephiroth had a few bruises and cuts, but nothing life threatening.

After blocking another attack from Zack, Sephiroth saw that Cloud was charging at him, blade at the ready. Sephiroth spun and kicked Zack back, then blasted Cloud in the face with a ball of flame. Cloud hit what looked like the elevator doors and dodged when Sephiroth attempted to blast him with fire again.

Zack, seeing him distracted, managed to slash the senior officer in the back. That wasn't a good idea. Sephiroth had channeled a large amount of energy and blasted Zack with it. The poor guy was sent crashing through a wall. Instead of going completely through, the poor guy was stuck.

"Bro! Bro! Bro! I'm stuck! Cloud, I'm stuck! Bah! Bah!" Zack yelled, attempting to wiggle himself out of the wall.

Cloud, seeing his friend stuck in a wall, yelled with rage and the lunar aura started coming out of him. Sephiroth saw this and knew something bad was going to happen. Cloud then used one of his signature moves, Omnislash.

After being pummeled by the attack, Sephiroth had started to tire. Cloud charged at him again and he blocked the attack, causing for the walls around them to crack even further. Before anything else could happen, the two heard, "SEPHIROTH! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?"

Cloud and Sephiroth turned to see that Lucrecia and Aerith had found them. Aerith shrieked when she saw poor Zack stuck in the wall. "Aerith?" Cloud said.

"Mother?" Sephiroth said.

"Sephiroth! What are you doing?" Lucrecia yelled.

"Mother? What are you doing here?" Sephiroth asked. He then cried out in pain when Lucrecia grabbed him by the ear and started dragging him to poor Zack's location.

"Ow…Ow…Ow…Stop it. Stop pulling my ear! I'm an adult! This is not how you treat a fellow adult, Mother!" Sephiroth said, his poor ear turning red.

"You're still my baby, so I'm not going to stop," Lucrecia said.

"Mother!" Sephiroth said, sounding like a child.

"Now pull out Zack," Lucrecia ordered.

"But he's…!" Sephiroth said.

Lucrecia pulled his ear again, this time harder. "Okay! Okay! Enough with the ear pulls, Mother!" Sephiroth said.

Cloud and Aerith, thinking the whole scene was weird, tried not to laugh at the man. Sephiroth pulled Zack out of the wall and Zack screamed, "DON'T KILL ME!"

"He's not going to kill you," Lucrecia said.

"Oh…" Zack said.

"Then why did you attack us?" Cloud said.

"Because I was ordered to eliminate all traitors and stop anyone from taking the materia," Sephiroth said, as his mother was glaring at him.

"We have to get that materia," Lucrecia told him.

"No," Sephiroth said.

"If we don't get it, something terrible is going to happen," Aerith said, healing Cloud and Zack.

"The war, correct?" Sephiroth asked.

"No. Something even…" Lucrecia said. She suddenly stopped when she felt something in her neck.

A dart was there and the woman passed out. Cloud, Zack and Aerith felt the pain on their necks and quickly passed out. Seeing a bright light coming from his mother's jacket pocket, Sephiroth checked and found the half of the proto-materia.

"Oh…you found the intruders. They will serve their purpose well," Hojo said, finding the unconscious group.

Sephiroth looked down as he saw Shinra troops take the group away. When they did, Hojo looked at him and said, "The only one who can do something right. The product of my offspring, kyeh-heh-heh."

Not liking the laugh, or being called the offspring of a mad scientist, Sephiroth scoffed. Hojo then left, hoping to start up the cannon for a "test fire". Once he was gone, a thought to piece the materia together. He entered the Vice President's empty office and opened the safe with the materia half inside.

He then put the two halves together and it fused together. Within seconds, the crystal burst in a bright light and disappeared. When the light died down, Sephiroth saw that the crystal was gone.

* * *

_Outside, rooftop…_

Aqua, Terra, Tifa and Angeal saw that Chaos was still trying to destroy the cannon. He kept ramming into the shield and Angeal said, "What is he doing? He's been doing this for over 20 minutes now."

"I don't think his mind is there…anymore," Aqua said.

She then felt a sharp pain in her neck. "Ow…" she said and passed out.

Terra and Tifa also felt the pain in their necks and passed out as well. Not wanting to get captured, Angeal fled. Just before he could leave, he was shot in the neck with a sedative dart. Within moments, he fell, leaving behind white feathers.

Hojo and more Shinra troops found the unconscious three on the rooftop. "Get them and take them to the power room," he ordered.

"Yes sir!" the soldiers said and dragged them to the power room.

Hojo then saw Chaos and his attempts at attacking the cannon. "Oh ho…So you've returned…and it seems that you've managed to survive. And you want destruction…" Hojo said.

The creature kept attacking the shield, trying to break it. He then flew up high in the air and Hojo left, laughing the whole time.

* * *

_On a nearby rooftop…_

Riku, Sora, Vanitas and Naminé (who sensed something had happened to the team) arrived through a dark corridor and saw the turmoil happening. Chaos was attacking the Junon Cannon and the Shinra troops were fighting rogue soldiers.

Naminé had started drawing in her notebook and Riku asked, "Are you sure this is going to work?"

"Yes. Dr. Lucrecia's helping me piece the last of his memories in the proto-materia. All she has to do now is give it to him," Naminé said.

"But they were captured. How can she help with that?" Sora asked.

Naminé pointed at her head and said, "The mind is very powerful. She's awake mentally…for now."

After drawing a picture of Vincent with one half in his Chaos form and the other in his human form, Naminé wrote down the words: "The Two Become One". Seconds later, the four saw a bright light escape from the cannon. It zipped through the sky and something that looked like black tendrils came from the cannon to stop it.

It was caught once but broke free with a bright light. The light headed skyward, towards Chaos. Once it reached him, it crashed into him, sending sparks of light everywhere.

The materia was inserted in a hole in Chaos's chest and the creature began to immediately calm. He looked at it and then at the person who gave it to him. It was Lucrecia. When he tried to grab her, his claw went straight through her and he knew it was just a projection.

"Take this…" Lucrecia said. When she spoke, he heard two languages coming from her. One of the modern language of Shinra and the other was in the ancient language of Giruvegan.

"Vincent…Chao…" Lucrecia said and disappeared.

When she disappeared, the light overwhelmed Chaos and he felt a different kind of power. The power overwhelmed him and a wave of energy came from him. The wave managed to weaken the cannon's shield.

The materia started to glow and Vincent started to remember many things. He remembered his time as a Turk and even started remembering things from Giruvegan. Vincent remembered that he was the summon spirit, Chaos, reincarnated and his role was much different than people thought. He was the suppressor of disorder, preventing any mass chaos in the world.

Naminé, Riku, Sora and Vanitas sensed the change in Chaos and Naminé said, "Vincent's starting to remember. He's taken control!"

"Yes!" Sora said.

"Finally!" Vanitas said.

"At least he won't try to chase us down to kill us any…" Riku said. He then felt the building rumble.

The building, weakened from Chaos's first energy wave, started to crumble. "AAH!" Naminé screamed.

Sora and Vanitas flew up and was about to grab Riku and Naminé when the building fell, taking the two with it.

Vincent, in his Chaos form, heard them and saw the building fall. With a beat of his wings, he rushed over to them to prevent them from falling to their deaths. As he flew, he started using his power to fly even faster. Before the building could crush them, Vincent grabbed them and flew to a safer location.

Sora and Vanitas saw this and said, "HEY!"

The two started charging at him and landed at his location, an alleyway near the Junon Cannon. Naminé and Riku had bruises and a few cuts, but they seemed okay…to Vanitas anyway. To Sora, he thought that they were dying. So, he confronted Chaos.

"Hey! What have you done to our best friends?" Sora yelled, pointing an accusing finger.

Vincent looked at them and Sora hid behind Vanitas, forgetting that Vincent had taken control. "Vincent's back to normal, Sora!" Riku yelled.

"I don't believe you!" Sora yelled.

"Wow, this is new," Vanitas said.

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?" Sora yelled at his twin.

He heard a small chuckle and saw that Vincent was the one that did it. "He reminds you of…Lucrecia?" Naminé asked.

"She…She was always like that…Only believing what she wanted to…" Vincent said, his voice a bit distorted due to his form.

"Hey! I'm not like that!" Sora yelled.

"Yeah, yeah…You're gullible and refuse to believe anyone else but yourself," Vanitas said.

Sora glared at him and Naminé said to Vincent, "Well, she's here and Hojo has her…and the others…"

The group saw that the cannon activated and a blast of energy came out of it. "And he's using them to power it…" Riku said.

Vincent shook his head and summoned something in his right claw. A gun appeared and Riku thought, 'Did he just…? He summoned a gun! It's a gun!'

He then looked up at the cannon and flew off. When he was gone, Riku yelled, "H-He just summoned a gun! A friken gun!"

"So awesome!" Sora yelled.

"Why is he so cool?" Naminé asked.

"He practically can shoot energy out of his fingers!" Sora yelled.

"I thought I heard a theme song when he flew off!" Naminé yelled.

"I think it was from Gackt…Why is he so cool? He's even faster!" Vanitas added.

"So awesome! But how can he be faster?" Sora yelled again.

"Destruction everywhere!" Vanitas said, grinning.

"He's got a cloud of awesome surrounding him!" Sora yelled.

"Unbelievable!" Vanitas yelled.

"Super-hyperactive-powered up-awesome Vincent!" Sora yelled.

"I don't get it! Why is he so awesome?" Vanitas yelled.

"I like Vincent!" Naminé said.

The three sighed and Riku said, "Okay…I don't think he really needs fans…And we should get out of here. We're not supposed to be here in the first place."

He summoned a dark corridor and the four left Junon Harbor through it…

* * *

_Wow. That was a lot of fan boy and girl-ism…So, will Vincent make it in time to save the Junon team? Will he kill Hojo? Will Junon Harbor survive the onslaught of Genesis clones? Will Angeal survive his fall? Will Sephiroth ever recover from his poor injured ear? And will I ever go to bed? *"Get on with the ending!" a reader yells. "Yeah, get on with it!" the reviewers yell.* Okay, okay! I think this is funny and I'm sticking with it! So, there! Er, review?_

_-miano53_


	21. Chapter Twenty

"_In days of yore, the l'Cie would carry out missions according to the will of the Fal'Cie, who in turn goes with the will of the Creator. They would do things such as patrol the gates of Giruvegan, leave the city to help humans in trouble and even help win wars. One l'Cie called Chaos had a much different role. He was the best marksman in Giruvegan and among the strongest l'Cie. His role was that like an "Angel of Death". He was to go and destroy those who would start disorder in the world, such as warlords who wanted to start world wars. I wonder…is he going to appear again? Because the Gardenian Emirates, Shinra, Qing, Nippon and Archadia started to war with each other…and it's getting bad…"_

_-a student at the Nippon State University in Toyko_

Chapter Twenty: True Calling

_Antonelli's School of Special Arts, 7 pm…_

Shelke, using the school's supercomputer, looked at the screen and saw the firing of the Junon Cannon after hacking into the Junon cameras. She saw the light that came out of it and said, "Oh no…"

The cannon destroyed what looked like a coral reef and she said, "If they keep this up, they could use the cannon to destroy Radiant Garden…What's taking them so long?"

She then hacked into the cameras within the building and saw that the team had been captured. "Oh no!" Shelke yelled.

"What is it?" Shalua said, coming in.

"The team…they've been captured. And Chaos…I don't see him," Shelke said.

Shalua saw that the team were put into capsules in the power room of the cannon and one of the scientist there asked, "So, now we do what…exactly?"

A light came from each member of the Junon team and the capsules started absorbing their powers. The lunar aura of Fenrir came from Cloud. The aura of Valigarmanda came from Aqua, a light blue. The aura of Hashmal came from Terra, an orange color with a touch of black. The aura of Minerva came from Aerith, a greenish color. The aura of Lakshmi came from Lucrecia, a bluish color. From Zack, the sky blue aura of a l'Cie named Raiden came from him. With Tifa, the white aura of a l'Cie named Seraphina came from her.

The core in the center of the room started to glow with the brilliant auras and Hojo said, "They have all the power in the world…to recreate it. But yet they use it to save this old one…"

"Huh?" one of the scientist said.

"None of your concern," Hojo told him.

"The power count…it's at 150...200...300...700...1000...the count still climbs!" one of the other scientists said happily.

"The cannon is aimed at the fortress off the coast of Nippon. What do you wish to do?" a scientist asked.

"What do you think, you idiot?" Hojo yelled.

Shalua and Shelke saw that the cannon was fired and Shelke said, "We're doomed…"

"Not quite…" Shalua said.

She switched over to the camera that was watching the area outside of the cannon. The two saw Chaos attacking, but something was different. A light came from his chest and Shelke said, "The proto-materia…He has it."

"Then that means…Vincent's in control again," Shalua said.

* * *

_At Junon Cannon, outside…_

Vincent, using his old power, began shooting at the small airships that went after him. They started shooting and, with his old weapon, the Death Penalty, Vincent took them out with ease. After taking out most of the airships, he charged up and flew towards the weakened shield of the Junon Cannon. The shield tried to push him back but, with a roar, Vincent broke through and entered the building.

Due to the power that was flowing from the core, the interior of the building had changed. It looked more like the interior of a gun than an office building. Shinra troops had tried to block his path and started shooting at him. Vincent shielded himself with his wings and performed a psionic ability known as Nightmare.

The soldiers' minds were clouded and they proceeded to attack each other. With that distraction, Vincent flew off, heading to the upper floors. His path was blocked when he reached the 40th floor. A barrier blocked his path, but he destroyed it with one shot of the Death Penalty.

More machines came to block his path on that floor and he shook his head. With a few shots, the machines were destroyed. He kept going and headed up to the 45th floor, where the power room was located. When he arrived on the floor, he was suddenly bounded up by what looked like a seal.

"What the…?" he said. Within seconds, he was electrified.

It weakened him, but didn't knock him unconscious. "That's far enough," someone said.

Shinra troops rushed him and aimed their guns at him. Vincent looked around and saw that Hojo was with them. "Hojo…" he said, suppressing a growl.

"Ah, so it is you. All that power you Specials have to build a new world, but yet you insist on saving the old one," Hojo said.

"Where are they, Hojo?" Vincent asked.

"I should've disposed of your body when I had the chance after the failed 'experiment'. But yet, Lucrecia got to you first. I thought you were done for good. Until she gave you the power trapped in those crystals," Hojo said.

Vincent glared at him and Hojo said, "And that power revived you, Vincent Valentine…Or should I say, Chaos. If I had known you were that summon spirit, I would've used your power long ago for my other experiments. But, I have found another. So, I don't need you anymore."

He aimed at him with a gun and said, "And I'll destroy you with your weakness: light. Shadow creatures like you can't stand too much of it."

Hojo then shot Vincent again in the chest with what looked like a bullet of light, near where the proto-materia was located. Vincent disappeared, leaving behind what looked like a piece of his cape…

* * *

_Unknown…_

"_Ch…Cha…Chao…wake up! Hey! Wake up! Chao! Are you sure you want to sleep in?" _

Vincent, once again in his human form, woke up to find himself in a bed. He looked around and saw that his gauntlet on his left arm was gone. His clothes had changed as well. Instead of his usual black attire with a red bandana and cape, his attire was now that of the servant's attire of Giruvegan of black and white. His hair was much shorter and the proto-materia that was supposed to be in his chest was gone.

After a while, he looked around and saw…a young Lucrecia. She smiled at him and he was very confused.

"Lucrecia?" he said.

"No…My name is Lakshmi," Lakshmi said.

'Lakshmi?' Vincent thought.

"Where am I?" Vincent asked.

"Are you still asleep? Because I heard that some people, especially humes, can have amnesia after waking up. What was it called…?" Lakshmi said.

Vincent shook his head and Lakshmi said, "Well, you're at the compound. Your mom and dad left a note, saying that you had some chores. And since my parents are with the Fal'Cie right now, I was wondering if we could sneak out and go somewhere."

Still not trusting her, Vincent asked, "What day is this?"

"It's Monday…?" Lakshmi said, confused.

"I mean, what year is it?" Vincent asked.

"Um…Year 231 of Mollech-Kittim," Lakshmi said.

'…I'm in the past?' Vincent thought.

"Wow…You're acting a bit strangely, Chao," Lakshmi said.

That caught Vincent by surprise. "What did you call me?" he asked.

"I called you by your name. The name I've called you for the past 13 years…since I was four…It was better than calling you 'Chaos'," Lakshmi said.

Vincent was then pulled out of bed by Lakshmi and led out of the room. They passed up a mirror and he pulled out of her grip. He checked the mirror and saw that he looked just like himself when he was a young Turk.

"What the…?" he said.

"What's wrong? Perpetuating our vanity, are we?" Lakshmi asked.

Vincent looked at her and saw her pouting. Feeling that he could trust her, he left the compound with Lakshmi to see Giruvegan.

Outside of Lord Vishnu's compound, Lakshmi said, "We haven't been out in ages…"

Instead of replying, Vincent looked around and saw that the city was massive and looked a lot like Radiant Garden. Building soared into the air and everything was built on what looked like water. Crystals floated in the air and gave off a soft light.

"Chao…Chao, are you listening? You're spacing out on me," Lakshmi said.

Vincent looked at her and said, "What?"

"You spaced out…Wow, you don't usually do this…Maybe it was a bad idea to go out so soon…" Lakshmi said.

"Why?" Vincent asked.

"You were very sick…You managed to recover a few days ago…" Lakshmi said.

'Sick?' Vincent thought.

"So, are you okay? We can go back to the compound if you're not feeling up to it," Lakshmi told him.

"No. I'm fine," Vincent told her.

"Okay. Let's get on the tram," Lakshmi said and ran off.

He was about to follow when he heard, "Be wary…"

Vincent looked around and saw no one. "Don't trust what you see. Remain vigilant," the voice said.

Due to his memory, instead of trusting the voice, he trusted Lakshmi and followed her.

* * *

After what felt like hours of exploring the city, the two headed back and Lakshmi said, "Let's go inside before our parents get back."

Vincent nodded and followed her back onto the compound. Once there, he heard something odd. Lakshmi noticed this and said, "What's wrong?"

Vincent ignored her and started hearing the sound of a music box. "You're spacing out on me again, Chao…" Lakshmi said, worried.

He started walking towards the sound and Lakshmi said to him, "Where are you going?"

She started to follow and said, "No! Don't leave the compound! It's dangerous at night!"

Vincent kept following the sound and Lakshmi yelled, "No! Don't leave! Please!"

He left the compound and saw that the entire city was now in fiery ruins. Corpses of fallen l'Cie were everywhere and many of them looked mangled up. The crystals that were previously in the air were all shattered and turned to dust, covering the ground like snow. Vincent then heard screams and each was worse than the last.

A roar was heard and Vincent immediately heard the sounds of bodies falling to the ground. He covered his ears and hoped that the nightmare would go away. Instead, he heard, "I told you not to leave!"

He turned to see that Lakshmi was glaring at him. "What…happened here?" he asked her.

"You…" she said.

"What?" Vincent asked.

"You did this, Chaos! You destroyed our home! You killed everyone!" Lakshmi yelled.

'I…did this?' Vincent thought.

The images of Valigarmanda (Aqua) appeared and she said, "Father! No! I wasn't strong enough to stop him!"

He then saw her fall to the ground, slain by what looked like a gunshot wound. The image disappeared and he then saw the image of Fenrir (Cloud). He said to him, "Don't leave the city. You're not well."

Fenrir was then slain by what looked like a dark energy blast. He collapsed onto the ground and disappeared. The last image was that of his past life's adoptive mother, Brunhilda. She said to him, "He got to you…Didn't he? He reactivated the programming…"

She then collapsed, seemingly hit in the neck to knock her unconscious. The image disappeared and Vincent was then attacked by a vengeful Lakshmi. She swiped at him with what looked like a sword and Vincent dodged the attack. He was about to grab his gun when he realized that he didn't have one.

"Sometimes it's best to do nothing…" a voice said.

'What?' Vincent thought.

"Sometimes, judges must exercise restraint…" the voice said.

Vincent hadn't a clue what the voice meant and kept dodging Lakshmi's attacks. He was about to grab what looked like a knife to defend himself when the voice spoke again.

"Judges must exercise restraint…" the voice said again.

Vincent dropped the knife and saw Lakshmi charging at him. He braced himself for the worse and was immediately stabbed in the chest. He cried out in pain and felt a power surge as his cry had turned into a roar.

The scenery around them disappeared and the sword in Lakshmi's hands disappeared. The pain was gone and Vincent saw that the wound in his chest now held the proto-materia. Lakshmi disappeared with a smile and another took her place.

"You have passed my test. I, as well as most of the Fal'Cie, has forgiven you of that horrific trespass those many ages ago. You were not yourself…Someone else took control of you, forcing you to destroy as much as you could of Giruvegan…From the path of the 'bringer of disorder', you have now taken the redemption path of 'suppressor' once more. You now have to confront your enemy and you have the means to destroy them…" the woman said.

"Lady Asura…" Vincent muttered.

"Go now. Take this and free the captured l'Cie," Asura said, giving Vincent what looked like a crystal.

She then disappeared…

* * *

_Junon, cannon building, 45th floor…_

Vincent woke up to find that he was back to his normal self. He looked around and saw that he was still on the 45th floor. He got up and saw that the Shinra troops were gone. Sensing that the others were still in the power room, along with Hojo, the man walked towards the power room with fierce determination.

He arrived at the hall that led to the power room and saw Shinra troops. They saw him and started shooting at him. Vincent shot at them, taking all five out with only five shots. But he didn't kill them as he didn't hit any vitals.

The man opened the power room door and saw that it was a precarious looking place. A single bridge led to the core of the room and the capsules of the team sent to Junon surrounded it. Platforms were under them and smaller machines were connected to them. Hojo, behind a shield created by the power of the team and the core, stood behind the core and saw Vincent coming.

Once Vincent was close enough, Hojo said, "Your power is astounding. This is twice that you've cheated death! So, the experiments were a success. No matter. The cannon is online and this shield is powered by your allies. So, it's useless to try to stop me, Vincent Valentine."

Noticing Vincent's confused face, Hojo said, "Oh. I guess you don't know. You Specials do not have normal hearts like a human. Instead, your hearts are made of pure crystal and glow with ethereal light. That light gives you your powers and that is what's powering the shield. But no matter. You won't understand much of what I'm saying."

Hojo pushed a button on a remote he carried and a wave of energy came from the core in an attempt to destroy Vincent. Instead, Vincent was protected by his own aura. The aura formed like a shield and protected him from the excessive light. Remembering what he was given, the man pulled out the crystal and it began absorbing the light from the others.

"What is that?" Hojo asked.

The crystal absorbed the aura from the core and the first to be released was Aqua's. Hojo saw this and said, "What are you doing?"

The next aura to be released was Terra's. "You think a little stone like that will stop the cannon?" Hojo asked.

The third to be released was Cloud's. "Stop now, you fool! You don't know what you're doing, Valentine!" Hojo yelled, seeing that his shield was weakening.

The fourth aura to be released was Tifa's. "I order you to stop, Valentine!" Hojo yelled.

The fifth to be released was Zack's. "You think this will give you redemption, Valentine?" Hojo asked, now seeing that the cannon was weakening.

The sixth aura to be released was Aerith's. "They will still see you only as a monster," Hojo said, hoping to discourage Vincent.

The last aura to be released was Lucrecia's. "And she will only remember you as the monster, Chaos," Hojo said, desperate to discourage Vincent.

The core was the last to go and the crystal released a beam of light that began destroying the cannon's core. "Stop! I order you to stop, Valentine! Stop!" Hojo yelled.

A bright light came from the core and Hojo yelled, "NO!"

When the light died down, Aqua and the others were freed from the capsules. They weren't standing as they were exhausted. Hojo was angry and started ranting, as that was all he could do.

"You think this is a victory? You're only delaying the inevitable. The war will come and it will bring devastation. Shinra will emerge victorious and I shall be the one" Hojo said.

Vincent looked over at Lucrecia, who was still unconscious. He looked around at the others and Hojo scoffed. "You fight for them? They only see you as a monster. That is all they will ever see, my failed experiment," Hojo said.

Not wanting to hear him anymore, Vincent did what he wanted to do for years. He shot Hojo with the Cerberus. Hojo was hit in the shoulder and was knocked off the platform. "Oh no! AAH!" Hojo screamed as he fell.

That woke up Aqua. She looked down and said, "Is he…?"

Cloud was next to wake up and he looked at where Hojo fell. "Yeah, he's dead…No one could've survived from this height. Kinda remind me of what happened in that Fable game," he said.

The others started waking up and saw what happened. Lucrecia looked over at Vincent and said, "Vincent…"

She rushed over to him and hugged him. That surprised him a bit and he flinched. Seeing him do that, Lucrecia said, "I'm sorry. Did I hurt you?"

Vincent shook his head and everyone saw that Asura had appeared where the core was supposed to be. "You have done well. Now, give me the crystal and I will restore the others' strength. Then you all will be able to go home," Asura said.

He did and Asura cracked the crystal. The auras captured escaped and was absorbed by Aqua and the others. Once that was done, Asura sent them home.

* * *

_Three days later, September 7th, Antonelli's School of Special Arts…_

After checking with Maria Theresa (who won the fight with her sister) on what had happened in Junon, she gave the group a break. The Junon team was allowed to rest and recover before attempting to train again. During those three days, everyone either went to sleep, headed to Radiant Garden or stayed at the manor.

Lucrecia was one of the ones that stayed at the manor. Worried for Vincent, she headed to where he usually stayed during standby: the manor's library. She headed to the small library and saw that the door was open as well as the window. He was in there and was reading something.

The woman entered and closed the door behind her. Due to his claustrophobia, Vincent suddenly tensed up and started trembling. Not seeing this, Lucrecia asked, "What are you reading?"

"The door…" Vincent said, not looking up from his book and still trembling.

"'The door'? What kind of book is…? Oh," Lucrecia said, getting it.

She headed for the door and opened it. Vincent stopped shaking and he started to relax. "I thought your claustrophobia would get better after being in a coffin for so long," Lucrecia said.

"You know I wasn't awake," Vincent said.

The two were silent for a while and Lucrecia said, "So…have you had any…?"

"Any what?" Vincent asked, now looking up at her.

"Um…" Lucrecia said.

The two were silent again and Vincent said, "Don't worry. I have it in control."

"It didn't disappear?" Lucrecia asked.

"That side of me…it's still there. It's dormant, but it's still there. But…I won't lose control anytime soon," Vincent said.

Lucrecia started crying and she said, "I'm so sorry…"

"Don't be. You saved me. If you didn't do what you did…Well, thank you," Vincent said.

Lucrecia smiled and, for the first time, she could see a small smile from Vincent.


	22. Chapter Twenty One

"_Autumn in the Gardenian Emirates is one of the best times for tourists. The trees there give off some of the best colors and the festivals there are great. The harvest festival and Hallow's Eve is one of the most popular celebrations there. This year, however, we don't know if the celebrations will take place. What? It will? You sure, Ted?"_

_-a tour guide in Twilight Town_

Chapter Twenty One: Tales of Autumn (Aqua)

_Antonelli's School of Special Arts, Monday, September 10th, 6:30 am…_

Maria Theresa, Master Barret, Master Eraqus, and four of the other teachers walked through the halls of the school and yelled in bullhorns, "GOOD MORNING STUDENTS AND FACULTY!"

Screams were heard and some of the older students cursed. In the girl's wing, Maria Theresa, Lucrecia and the some female faculty saw some of the younger girls come out of their rooms. One of them was Barret Wallace's adoptive daughter, a Nightshade Special named Marlene Wallace, who apparently walked through the door…without opening it in a similar manner to a ghost. Wide awake, she was wearing a lace dress.

"What are you wearing?" Maria Theresa said.

"I'm wearing what I'm gonna wear for school," the four year old said.

"You're not wearing a dress. Go and wear your usual," Maria Theresa told her.

"But I like my pink dress," Marlene said.

"But it'll get dirty during recess," Lucrecia said.

"But!" Marlene said.

"Maria, I'll take care of this," Lucrecia said.

She then headed to Marlene's room to find something better to wear. Maria Theresa then headed to the other rooms and heard the other girls getting out of bed. Until she came to Aqua and Tifa's room. She only heard one and opened the door.

Tifa was apparently ready, but Aqua was asleep. "She's still asleep?" the headmistress asked.

Tifa nodded and said, "I don't think it's a good idea to wake her up…"

Being a bit mischievous, Maria Theresa pulled out her horn and blew it. That forced Aqua to wake up and she screamed, "What the…? Who the…? What the freak? NANA!"

As she screamed, electricity came out of her and her eyes had turned an ice blue. The winds outside picked up and Tifa said, "Well, she did say 'Good morning'."

Calming down, Aqua looked at her grandmother and said, "What did you do that for?"

"You didn't wake up. So, I woke you up. I used to do the same with your mother…and had the same reaction," Maria Theresa said, laughing.

Aqua shook her head and was told that breakfast was to be ready at 7:30 am. The headmistress left and Aqua looked at the clock. It was 6:35.

"Why…?" she said, used to getting up at 7 am and getting to work at 8.

* * *

On the other side of the manor, the some male faculty walked through the halls, using bullhorns to yell for the male students and still sleeping faculty. The younger students woke up while the older ones cursed.

Axel and Reno opened up their door when Master Eraqus started banging on their door. The white of their eyes were now red and Reno asked, "Why? What do you have against the concept of sleep?"

"Nothing. It's time to get up," Eraqus said.

"Why?!" Axel yelled.

"Get ready and get changed or you'll miss breakfast," Eraqus said.

"Breakfast isn't until 7:30 for us!" Ven yelled from across the hall.

"Yes, but you must wake up as we all know that the older group takes forever to get ready," Cecil said, coming out of his own room.

Roxas glared at him and saw that Barret banged on a certain door. It was that of Terra's. Terra usually didn't wake up on time and his room was usually messy.

"Terra Dal Monte's room…Where clothes come to die…" Barret said.

He entered the room and turned on the lights. Terra, under the covered, groaned and said, "Why?"

"Wake up!" Barret yelled.

"No…" Terra said, half-asleep.

Barret ripped the covers off the young man and Terra started shivering. "Barret! WHAT THE HECK, MAN!" Terra screamed, cursing.

"Get up!" Barret said and left.

When he did, Terra put the covers over his head. Barret heard that and reentered. "I'm up! I'm up!" Terra said.

* * *

_Kitchen, 7 a.m.…_

Rosa, after making coffee, saw that some of the adults had dragged in the room. They all rushed for the newly made coffee and Rosa said, "So, I guess you all love the coffee…"

Lucrecia had come in and Rosa noticed someone was missing. "Um…no one woke him up?" she said.

"Who?" Lucrecia asked.

"Rosa, the last time somebody tried goin' in and wakin' up Vince…they nearly lost an arm…and a leg…Heck, they almost got killed," Cid said.

Lucrecia's face paled and said, "So…he didn't wake up?"

"Nope. We usually just let him wake up on his own…" Cid told her.

He attempted to light a cigarette when he received a glare from Maria Theresa. She grabbed it and broke it in half. "Smoke elsewhere," she said.

Cid muttered curses under his breath and took a mug of coffee. He then headed outside to have his daily "breakfast" of coffee and a cigarette. "So, when does he wake up?" Lucrecia asked.

"Usually around 9:30, give or take," one of the other staff members said.

Lucrecia then thought about waking the man up herself…until Maria Theresa told her not to.

* * *

_Later that day, 3 p.m.…_

Aqua, after training for the day, headed to the outer courtyard and saw Sora, Vanitas, Roxas and Ven. Ven and Roxas started arguing with each other after talking about a character in a game. "When it comes to Kazooie in 'Banjo Kazooie', I think it's a boy," Roxas said.

"I think the bird's a girl," Ven said.

"Ven, it's a boy," Roxas said.

"Girl," Ven said.

"Boy," Roxas said, voice raising.

"Girl!" Ven said, nearly yelling.

"Ven, it's a boy!" Roxas yelled.

"GIRL!" Ven yelled.

"Ven, it's a boy," Vanitas said.

"GIRL!" Ven yelled.

"Kazooie's a boy, Ven," Roxas yelled.

"IT'S A GIRL! WOMAN! FEMALE! GIRL!" Ven screamed.

"Okay…" Aqua said.

"They're at it again," Terra said, walking up to Aqua.

He had sat next to her on the bench she was on and watched as the four kept arguing on the gender of Kazooie the bird.

"IT'S A GIRL! WHAT I SAY IS RIGHT!" Ven yelled.

"Yeah, yeah…." Vanitas said sarcastically.

"It's a boy, Ven," Roxas said.

"KAZOOIE'S A GIRL! A WOMAN! FEMALE!" Ven yelled.

"So, how long do arguments like these last?" Aqua asked.

"Um…usually about an hour? Especially if they watch too much of the Completionist," Terra said.

"Oh…" Aqua muttered.

Now bored, Terra asked her, "Did you eat lunch?"

"No…Why?" Aqua asked.

"Well…I…um…Do you want to…?" Terra asked.

"Have a late lunch? Yeah," Aqua said.

"You do? Well, t-that's great," Terra said, looking a bit flustered.

"So, where did you want to go?" Aqua asked.

"To Twilight Town. We could get some sea salt ice cream there," Terra said.

"Okay," Aqua said.

Terra smiled and opened a dark corridor. The two went through and headed to Twilight Town.

* * *

_Twilight Town…_

After arriving at Twilight Town, the two headed for the town's center. There, the two bought some ice cream and Terra said to Aqua, "There's this spot I want to show you. C'mon."

Aqua shrugged and Terra led her to the town's clock tower. He led her to the top and sat down at the edge of the tower. Aqua did the same and the two started eating. After a bit, Aqua stopped eating.

"What's wrong?" Terra asked.

"Um…Well…I was wondering…" Aqua said.

"About what?" Terra asked.

"Um…How did you come to the school? You said that your mom sent you to the school because of…" Aqua said.

"Because of the guardian…Yeah, that's why," Terra said, now looking off in the distance.

Aqua could see that his eyes had turned amber for a second and immediately back to its blue hue. "What happened?" Aqua asked him.

Terra sighed and said, "Well, my dad…he's kinda like my grandpa. My grandpa believes that we l'Cie are the 'rulers of the world' because of Giruvegan and the other sky cities. My dad…he thinks the same way and when he found I was a Shadow Ripper like him and the rest of his side of the family, he tried to turn me into him…"

"Oh…So that's why your mom sent you to my Nana," Aqua said.

"After she did…I never heard from her again. I just know that someone in the family wasn't too happy about it…I wouldn't be surprised if they tried to off her," Terra said.

"Your dad?" Aqua asked.

Terra shook his head and said, "Yeah, he's crazy, but…not that crazy…But…"

Now seeing his sad face, Aqua immediately said, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have."

"No. It's okay….Well, what about you?" Terra asked.

"What about me?" Aqua said.

"I know what happened to your mom, but about your dad…" Terra said.

"He died when I was four, the same age when my mom was killed. He protected my other grandfather, Senator Lucien, from an assassin's bullet and was killed…" Aqua said.

Noticing the slight temperature change, Terra immediately said, "Aqua…I didn't mean to…"

Aqua checked her emotions and the temperature was back to its late summery self. "It's okay…I just have to release my emotions every now and then…" Aqua said.

Not wanting to talk about anything sad, Terra started to ask, "So, what else can you do?"

"With what?" Aqua asked.

"With your powers?" Terra asked.

"Well, I can summon rainstorms, hailstorms, windstorms, lightning…I was only able to summon a tornado once, but…that was when I…um…" Aqua said.

"What did you do?" Terra asked.

"We were training one time and this Nosferatu attacked us outside of Midgar. It hit me and I was…I was angry. So…this large funnel cloud appeared from the sky and it sucked up the monster. I didn't know I could do that, so I was kinda scared," Aqua said.

"Huh…I heard that's normal for storm riders," Terra said.

"Summoning funnel clouds that can move up to 200 mph and have the potential to wipe out a whole city? That's normal?" Aqua asked.

"That's what your grandma said," Terra told her.

Aqua looked a bit shocked but it was more like amazement. After a bit, the rest of Aqua's ice cream had melted and had landed on the ground. "So…are we done?" Aqua asked Terra.

"Huh?" Terra asked.

"Well, I don't have anything else to do today," Aqua told him.

"I'm not…Oh…Okay, you want something _real_ to eat. I know just the place. C'mon," Terra said, getting up.

Aqua followed and didn't expect for them to stay out as long as they did.

* * *

_Twilight Town, 9 pm…_

Instead of just eating, Terra and Aqua headed to the movies, bought some things and even participated in one of the town's festivals. After they were done, Terra noticed the time. "Oh crap…" he muttered.

"What's wrong?" Aqua asked, holding a chocobo plushie Terra had bought for her.

"It's 9 o'clock and we were supposed to be back at the manor by now," Terra said.

"Well, we're both adults and I'm sure Nana would…" Aqua said.

She suddenly gasped when Terra held his head in pain. He started to pant and Aqua asked, "Are you okay?"

"Why now…?" Terra said. His blue eyes had turned a glowing yellow color and Aqua was scared.

'We're not in a safe place. People could get hurt,' Aqua thought.

She looked around and saw that few people were passing through. Aqua grabbed Terra and led him into one of the alleyways. There, he nearly collapsed.

"I fly you to the nearby forest. You can release there," Aqua said.

She immediately saw his hair turning a silver color. "N-no time…I have to…" Terra said.

Seeing a nearby abandoned factory, Aqua helped Terra up and, while still holding onto him, flew over to it. Once there, she helped him into the factory. But, she didn't see that someone was watching her.

Inside the factory, Aqua helped Terra over to a wall and he leaned on it. Seconds later, he slumped to the ground. "Terra!" Aqua said.

Terra shook his head and said, "Try to leave…please."

"I can't. Not without you," Aqua said.

"Please listen to me! I-I can't control…myself when…I release…Please, get out of…here," Terra said, breathing heavily as he tried to contain his darkness.

Darkness started to seep out of him and his appearance started to change. Aqua was about to leave when she was punched in the face. She collapsed onto the ground and saw that it was a Speedster that attacked her.

The Speedster was female and looked as if she was a part of a gang. "What are you two doing here?" she asked.

Aqua looked around and saw that Terra and she were surrounded by others in similar attire. Aqua saw the faint glow that came from Specials and thought, 'They're all l'Cie?'

"They must be from the Axe gang!" one of them yelled.

"No. We're just here so…I'm just trying to help my friend," Aqua said.

"By going into an abandoned factory at night that belongs to us, the Katanas? A little suspicious, don't you think?" the speedster said.

The Speedster was about to kick Aqua when the young woman released electricity from her body. Her eyes had turned ice blue and some of the members of the gang said, "She's a Special, too!"

"Makes this even more interesting," the leader said.

The Speedster then ran around Aqua at high speeds. She attempted to punch her when Aqua shot her with a bolt of lightning. The other members of the gang saw this and started charging at Aqua.

Aqua kept them back by shooting at them with bolts of lightning. As they attempted to fight, they didn't see that Terra had collapsed onto the ground. Darkness started billowing from him and it covered him. Aqua did and gasped.

The gang looked at Terra and was blasted back by what looked like a large explosion of darkness. Aqua summoned wind to protect her from being pushed back and immediately remembered what Terra said. She did what he told her to do and flew to the upper parts of the factory. She managed to reach an open window at the roof and flew out of it.

The young woman was about to fly off when someone had grabbed her, sending her falling to the rooftop. The Speedster from before found her and started attacking again. She punched Aqua in the face and kicked her in the stomach and back.

In a cocky manner, the gangster smirked and was about to give the knockout blow when Aqua chopped the Speedster in the neck, sending her to the ground. After knocking her to the ground, five members of the members of the Katana gang came onto the roof.

"Boss! We gotta get out of here!" one of them said.

"That guy down there…He's a Shadow Ripper!" another yelled.

"It's a massacre down there! A freakin'…! Wah!" the fifth said and was pulled by what looked like a hand coming out of a dark portal.

The hand pulled the gang member into the dark portal and two of the four survivors tried to pull him out. "Help me!" he screamed.

"We're not letting you go!" they yelled.

"It's gonna eat me! WAAH!" the gangster screamed as the others' grip failed them and he was pulled into the darkness.

"Oh no…" Aqua muttered.

"Boss! I wanna go home!" the first of the survivors said.

The speedster looked at Aqua and said, "You are with the Axe gang! Only they would hire a Shadow Ripper to do this!"

She was about to punch her when her hand was caught by another. That person was Terra…but something was very wrong. His hair had changed completely to silver and his yellow eyes were glowing brightly.

"Now, I wouldn't do that if I were you," Terra said.

Even his voice sounded different. It was deeper than normal and a smirk was on his face. Darkness spilled out from him and Aqua could see a figure forming. "Let me go!" the gang leader yelled.

"Let you go? Why should I?" Terra said, the smirk not coming off of his face.

The other members of the Katana gang started to run and Terra's guardian immediately formed from his darkness. It sunk into the shadows and reappeared in front of the attempting escaping gang members.

"OH MY GOD NO!" they screamed.

It attacked, punching two of them in the face until they were bloody pulps. The other two rushed to attack Terra, thinking that during the attack he would release her and they could escape.

One, a Fuerte, lifted what looked like a concrete block and threw it at Terra's back like a football. The other was a Pyro and he shot a fireball at Terra. The attacks hit and Terra released the leader. She quickly ran to her surviving members and was about to run when the entire area was covered in darkness. Terra's guardian came to him and Terra was covered in darkness.

"Oh no…What's going on? He's not releasing!" Aqua said.

'Or…is this what happens when he doesn't…?' Aqua thought.

She came out of her thoughts when she was hit by a wave of darkness. The wave sent her airborne and Aqua stopped herself from sailing in the air. She then saw that the entire rooftop was covered in a dome of darkness.

Scared, Aqua pulled out her PHS and called her Nana. The headmistress answered and said, "I see that you and Terra are not here. On a date?"

"Um…kinda…Um, Nana…Terra's…um…" Aqua said.

"So that's what I'm sensing. What is going on now?" Maria Theresa asked.

"Terra…he didn't release…He's attacking a gang! I think he's killing them!" Aqua screamed.

"Calm down…If he doesn't come to, you have my permission to subdue him," Maria Theresa said.

"But…I'm not strong enough," Aqua said.

"Yes you are. You have much untapped potential," Maria Theresa said.

She then hung up with a click and Aqua thought it was odd. "Why didn't she come? Unless…she must really trust me," Aqua thought aloud.

The young woman then saw that the dome of darkness had disappeared. So, she flew closer and saw the Katana gang, hardly breathing and beaten to a pulp. Using her PHS, she called an ambulance. After seeing that Terra wasn't there, Aqua flew off.

She landed in the forest near the town wall as she didn't want anyone to see her flying after what happened. Terrified, Aqua started crying. That caused for the weather to change and start raining.

"What was that? I…I…I should've taken him here. It would've been safer. That gang wouldn't have gotten hurt…" Aqua said.

Seeing the weather's reaction to her emotions, Aqua commanded it to stop raining. She started to control her breathing and trembled with fear. 'Terra…' Aqua thought.

Her thoughts were shattered when she saw many pairs of red eyes. She saw that they belong to monsters. Aqua summoned lightning to her hands and saw a column of darkness take out the monsters. She looked around, not dismissing the lightning, and saw that Terra had taken them out.

He looked slightly disappointed and the darkness was still billowing out from him. "I thought werewolves would be harder…" he said, sounding disappointed.

He turned his head and looked over at Aqua. Aqua's eyes turned ice blue again and the lightning in her hands intensified. Terra, interested, walked closer to her and was promptly hit by the lightning, pushing him back.

He smirked and said, "You're scared of me."

"What do you think?" Aqua said, nearly yelling out of fear.

Terra chuckled and started walking towards Aqua asked. "Get away!" she screamed, shooting the young man with lightning again.

Now riled up, Terra charged at her and started attacking. As he punched, darkness came out of his hands and was shaped like claws. Aqua dodged the attacks and kept shooting lightning at him.

The weather was greatly affected by the two and the clouds became darker due to the darkness Terra had commanded. Due to Aqua's out of control emotions, lightning crashed and hail started coming down. Completely lost in battle, the controlled-by-his-own-powers Terra yelled, "I haven't had a fight like this in ages!"

"Terra, get a hold of yourself! Stop it!" Aqua said, still dodging attacks.

Terra didn't bother to listen and kept attacking. Now angered, Aqua yelled, "STOP IT!"

A gale of wind hit Terra and sent him flying towards the abandoned mansion on the far outskirts of town. He crashed into the roof and another explosion of darkness came from that direction.

Aqua calmed down and the weather did the same. Once she was calm enough, which wasn't much, Aqua shakily started flying towards Terra's location. She saw the hole in the mansion roof and saw dark scars everywhere. With hesitation, she landed through the hole in the roof and looked around for Terra.

"Terra? If you're back to normal, please say so…If not, I'll go…" Aqua said, scared.

She heard movement from what looked like a pile of crates and screamed. That caused for a cold blast of wind to hit the boxes, freezing them over. Now trembling, Aqua started flying upwards, attempting to leave without Terra.

Her plan was ruined when she felt someone grab her left foot. "AAH!" Aqua screamed.

She was about to hit the person with lightning when she heard, "S-stop…A-aqua…"

From the lightning's light, she was about to see that Terra had grabbed her. He looked exhausted and was on the verge of passing out. "Help…" he said and did just that.

Aqua landed next to him after dismissing the lightning. "Terra…" she said.

A dark corridor engulfed the two, sending them to back to the manor…

* * *

_September 12th, two days after the incident in Twilight Town…_

Terra, feeling sorry for what happened two days ago, headed for Aqua's room to apologize. He attempted to speak to her, but to no avail. Aqua was silent. She refused to speak to anyone.

Since her powers prevented anyone from reading her thoughts, the headmistress, Lucrecia and any of the other telepaths in the school had no idea what Aqua was thinking. When he arrived at the door, Terra knocked on it and her no reply.

"Aqua…Aqua, I'm sorry…Please, open the door," Terra said.

There was still no reply. After waiting about ten minutes, he saw Tifa coming back to the room. "Tifa…Is…Is Aqua in there?" Terra said.

Tifa shook her head and said, "I don't know what happened, but she's not talking to anyone…Cloud's kinda mad at you…So is Zack. So, I'd stay away from them if I were you."

"But…I didn't do anything…I didn't hurt her," Terra said.

"Well, how do you know that? Aqua said that you don't remember much from the last time," Tifa said.

"I…I didn't…I wouldn't…" Terra said.

"Do you remember what happened two days ago?" Tifa asked.

"I took Aqua to Twilight Town. We ate, went to the movies and went to that festival there…I even bought her a chocobo plushie…" Terra said.

"You went on a date with her?" Tifa asked.

"I-It wasn't a date!" Terra said.

"Well, you did everything that a guy would do on a date…especially a first one," Tifa told him.

He shook his head and said to her, "After that…I remember feeling a migraine and I couldn't breathe…I knew that I needed to release…the darkness…Aqua tried to help me when we were attacked by this…gang of Specials…All I remember next was that I wanted to protect her…And…the rest is hazy…"

Seeing the look in Terra's eyes, Tifa said, "I believe you. You wouldn't hurt Aqua. I mean, you did protect her before…way back when."

"As Hashmal…but…" Terra said.

* * *

_An hour later…_

After looking around campus for Aqua, Terra gave up and sat in the inner courtyard. He slumped down onto one of the benches and put his face in his hands in defeat. "What happened? What did I do?" Terra asked himself.

He then started to remember bits and pieces of what happened. He remembered attacking the gang, killing monsters in the Twilight Town forest and…attacking Aqua. Once the flashbacks were over, Terra said, "Oh…my…god…Why would…? How could I…? What is wrong with me!"

He then started sulking and said, "I'm the same as him…"

"Terra?" someone said.

He looked up and saw that Aqua came. "Aqua…I'm…I didn't mean…I'm sorry. I didn't mean to…I'm…just like him…" Terra said.

Aqua stayed silent and heard him apologize. "I didn't mean for any of that to happen. I should've…I just wanted…" Terra said, still sulking.

The two were silent for a while and Terra said, "You probably hate me. I know Cloud and Zack does…I almost hurt you…and I'm sorry. I'll just transfer out of here. You'll be safer that way."

"No…" Aqua said.

Terra looked at her confused and Aqua said, "You had to release it and I saw why you have to…You became…battle hungry and…I attacked you when you asked if I was scared of you. I was because I saw what you can do…But…you held back against that gang and saved me. And…I think you were testing me."

"Testing you for what?" Terra asked.

"I think you know, but refuse to say," Aqua said.

Terra was silent again and Aqua began to scoot next to him. When she was close enough, she grabbed his arm and wrapped it around herself. She looked at him and he looked back at her.

"You're not going to hurt me…You never have and never will," Aqua said in the old language.

She then put her head on his shoulder and Terra thought, 'I hope you're right.'

* * *

_Well, hopefully this'll appease those who want more TerraxAqua in this story. The next chapter will deal with Axel, his twin, Reno, and Sora and Vanitas. What kind of shenanigans will they pull off, I wonder._


	23. Chapter Twenty Two

"_The Ninjas of Wutai are the main rivals of the ninja of Elban. Each group work to better the planet, usually by helping Specials and eradicating monsters. Since Shinra declared war on Wutai and Elban, the two countries put aside their differences to fight Shinra. The ninjas from time to time still participate in hunts__…"_

_-a students in Balamb Garden_

Chapter Twenty Two: Tales of Autumn (Axel, Reno, Sora and Vanitas)

_Friday, September 14th, Antonelli's School of Special Arts, Maria Theresa's office…_

After finishing classes for the day, Axel and Reno was called to the headmistress's office. There, they saw Sora and Vanitas standing in front of the desk. Confused, Axel asked, "What are those two doing here? I thought you just wanted to see us."

"Yes, but I have a mission that requires a group of four. Well, you all know the Abel's Farm near here, correct?" Maria Theresa told them.

The boys responded with a yes and the woman continued. "Well, the owners of the farm had to evacuate due to a sudden increase in monsters in the area. The types of enemies that have appeared are of the Undead variety," she said.

The four's faces blanched and Sora asked, "Uh. What do you mean by that…?"

"There are many Vampiress, Nosferatu and Vampire Bats on the farm. They apparently were migrating and came across the farm. The workers were attacked and a group of nuns from the nearby abbey were sent to deal with the threat," Maria Theresa continued.

"So, why send us?" Vanitas asked.

"The nuns got more than what they bargained for and need help. That's where you four come in," Maria Theresa replied.

She then ordered that they were to go, which much yelling. After much debating with her, the boys reluctantly packed their things for the mission ahead.

* * *

_Airship Highwind, 7 p.m.…_

As the airship plowed through the skies, Axel and Reno saw that Sora and Vanitas were flying near the airship. Sora played around while he was flying while his brother flew straight, not flinching as he did. A burning question crossed Axel's mind and he yelled at Vanitas, "Hey!"

"What?" Vanitas asked.

"I was wondering. Why is your name 'Vanitas'?" Axel asked.

"Yeah, what kind of name is that? It means 'vanity' for crying out loud!" Reno added.

Vanitas landed on the deck of the airship and the twins were afraid that Vanitas would attack them for making fun of him. Instead, he sighed.

"It was a stupid idea that my mom had," Vanitas said.

Sora landed on the deck as well and said, "Um she didn't do her research when she checked his name. She thought that it was a cool sounding name and named him that. Everyone said that Vanitas should change his name to his middle name of 'Sho', but after Mom and Dad died…"

"I kept the name as it honors Mom. Sure it has a bad meaning, but it's all I got left," Vanitas said.

Axel and Reno were silent and all Axel could say was, "Wow…"

"That's deep," Reno added.

"Hey! We're almost at the farm! Boys, y'all get ready!" the voice of Cid echoed over the speakerphones.

The four gathered their things and waited to land.

* * *

_Abel's Farm, 9 p.m.…_

After landing, the group looked around and saw that the farm was quite dark. An eerie silence enveloped the place and Sora immediately muttered, "This place looks diabolical and I don't like it at all."

"Well, just come back in one piece. I'll keep the _Highwind _ready just in case," Cid told them.

The boys headed further in and saw that there was no one on the farm. The moon's light was covered by thick, dark clouds and fog rolled in. After moving through the fog, the four found themselves in front of a large mansion.

"Uh, I thought this was a farm," Axel said.

"I guess it's the 'Big House'," Vanitas told him.

The group began to hesitate on whether or not they should go in the house. Reno, in a fit of slight bravery, walked forward towards the house. When he did, he saw that someone fell out of the mansion's third floor window. They landed with a thud and the group rushed to their aid.

It was a nun and she could barely move. Looking at Reno, she muttered, "Those accursed monsters. They killed the owner of the farm…and…everyone. My nuns couldn't defeat them. They've…gathered in the corn fields west of here. Take the sigil. They fear the sign of the Goddess."

With that, she expired. Reno looked at the others and said, "Um…So, what do we do?"

"You could go back home," someone said.

The four saw that a man jumped down from the rooftops. He looked at the deceased nun with his light blue eyes and ran a hand in his short, silver hair. His mouth was covered with a scarf, giving him a suspicious look. The man looked as if he was in his 20s, making him the oldest person there.

Vanitas glared at him and asked, "Did you kill that lady?"

"No. I'm investigating what's going on at this farm," the man said.

"No, you're just trying to give Elban another point for helping Specials!" someone yelled.

Sora looked up and saw that someone was standing on what looked like a lamp post. The figure jumped in the air and yelled, "On my honor as a ninja of Wutai, I shall…!"

The figure immediately overshot their jump and was heading straight for him. Sora started running, trying not to get caught in the crash. Sadly, the figure crashed headfirst into Sora's back.

"Why are you here, Yuffie?" the man asked.

"Ow…Ow…" the girl, Yuffie, moaned.

"I think she broke my back…" Sora said, still on the ground.

Vanitas helped the two by providing potions and Yuffie glared at the mysterious man. "Edge! Why are you here? We Wutai will handle this!" Yuffie yelled.

The man, Edge Geraldine of Elban, looked around and asked, "'We'? It's only you here. What happened to your group?"

"Um…Well…I don't have to tell you, Elbanese ninja!" Yuffie yelled.

Not wanting to be a part of the conflict, the four were about to leave when Edge stopped them. "I wouldn't do that if I were you," he said.

"Why not?" Sora asked.

"Well, the monsters here are of the Undead Variety. And there's a lot of them on this farm," Edge said.

"And…?" Vanitas asked.

"So, we'll go with you guys," Yuffie told them.

"What?" Reno yelled.

"Trust me. We ninja can help you guys eradicate the monsters," Edge said.

"How?" Vanitas asked.

"We can sneak up on the enemy and insta-kill them while they're unaware," Yuffie said.

Axel shrugged his shoulders and said, "Okay. We'll split into two teams. Sora, Yuffie and I will head for the cornfields while Mister Edge, Vanitas and Reno will check the house. If the monsters are too tough, head back here, okay?"

The group agreed and split up.

* * *

_With Sora, Yuffie and Axel…_

The three searched the cornfields, looking for any monsters in the area. As they did, Yuffie would jump every now and then as she thought she had heard some. Axel shook his head and muttered, "This is going to take a while."

Twenty minutes passed and the group was about to give up when they found a nun hiding in what looked like a sigil. She looked at them and said, "AAH! Monsters! Stay away!"

"What?" Yuffie asked.

"We're not monsters," Sora told her.

The nun looked at them again and said, "Oh, I'm sorry. I'm just so tired from the endless battles."

Yuffie walked closer to her and gave the woman an elixir. After drinking the curative, the nun got up and the sigil was dismissed. "Thank you. Ah, you're a ninja from Wutai," she said.

"Yup! I'm Yuffie Kisaragi! Kunoichi extraordinaire of Wutai!" Yuffie exclaimed.

"I'm Sora Masumoto and…" Sora added.

"Axel Velazquez…Got it memorized?" Axel said.

"Uh, yeah…Well, the monsters are being controlled by a higher monster called a Scarmiglione. It used the monsters to kill my sisters and…the people of this farm. We need to stop it at once!" the nun said.

Axel heard something come up from behind him and shot a fireball at it. The attack hit, revealing that a monstrous creature called a Deathscythe had appeared. The ghost-like enemy held two scythes in its hands and looked more like a floating skull's head than anything else.

The creature roared and the nun said, "That's one of the stronger monsters the Scarmiglione has summoned. Help me take it out!"

The group agreed and surrounded the monster. The nun pulled out her sigil and chanted, "By the will of Cosmos, you shall not harm anyone else!"

A column of light came from the heavens, hitting the Deathscythe. Axel, seeing an opening, said, "Yuffie! Sora! Let's go!"

"Okay!" Sora yelled.

"Right behind ya!" Yuffie yelled.

Yuffie threw her shuriken and Axel launched a fireball at it. Sora summoned a gale to surround the fiery weapon, increasing the flames. The shuriken hit, causing major damage to the Deathscythe and knocking it down.

The nun pulled out what looked like a gun and began firing bullets at it. After twenty hits, the monster got up and roared. A dark aura surrounded it and the nun yelled, "It has put up a pailing! Physical attacks won't hurt it!"

"Okay then! Burn baby!" Axel yelled.

His body immediately was surrounded by flames and Sora pushed Yuffie and the nun out of the way. An explosion came from Axel and revealed that he was now made of flames. A gasp came from both the nun and Yuffie, who weren't used to seeing Pyros.

The Deathscythe glared at Axel, who in turn smirked. "Well, it was nice knowing you, monster! Fire wall!"

The Pyro exploded, sending a wall of flame towards the monster. The monster and the surrounding area were instantly incinerated. When the flames died down, Axel looked at the others with a smirk. Instead of congratulations, he received a slap on the head from Yuffie.

"Ow!" Axel yelled.

"You could've killed us!" Yuffie screamed.

"Ow, sorry…" Axel said.

He looked around to survey the damage he did and saw that the majority of the cornfield had been turned to ashes. 'Oops…' he thought.

* * *

_With Reno, Vanitas and Edge…_

On the second floor of the home, Reno stopped and looked out the window. A massive explosion had come from the cornfields and he knew who it was.

"Axel…" he muttered.

"So, he managed to blow up another place?" Vanitas asked.

"Yup. And the others are okay…I think…" Reno told him.

"So, that bright light came from your twin? Are you Pyros or something?" Edge asked.

"Yeah, why?" Reno replied.

Edge went into deep thought and immediately came up with a solution. "The thing that controls the monsters around here is an undead. All we have to do is…" Edge said.

"Kill it with fire? No problem! Bring it on!" Reno yelled.

A monster's growl was heard and he yelped, running towards a closet. He hid and said, "Don't hurt me!"

Edge and Vanitas saw that the monster was a monstrous dog. Edge threw a shuriken at it and Vanitas swiped at it with a wind blade. The monster was cut in half, killing it instantly.

Vanitas walked over to closet and opened the door. A fireball was launched at him and he dodged. "Hey!" Vanitas yelled.

"Sorry! I thought you were one of those things!" Reno yelled.

Vanitas rolled his eyes and walked away from the closet. After Reno got himself together, the three heard noises coming from the third floor. Against their better judgment, they headed for the floor and saw that one of the nuns had survived.

She looked at them and said, "Oh…You all. Did you all come from the Antonelli Manor?"

"Yeah, but Edge here's from Elban," Reno said.

"Oh. Prince Edge!" the nun said.

"Wait, you're a prince?" Vanitas asked.

"Yep. But I was assigned to this region for the monster hunt," Edge replied.

The nun looked at the three and said, "I shall go with you to defeat the Scarmiglione. But we must hurry. The darker it gets, the stronger it gets."

The four left, heading for the graveyard.

* * *

_Graveyard, 11 p.m.…_

Axel, Yuffie and Sora waited with the nun in the graveyard and they weren't comfortable being in the cemetery. "Oh…I really, really don't like this at all…" Sora muttered.

"Well, we got Axel here with fire," Yuffie said.

"Yeah, but what if he misses? We're dead!" Sora yelled.

"SHH! Do you want the monsters to hear us?" the nun said.

"Yeah, Sora," someone said.

"AAH!" Sora screamed.

Vanitas, Reno and Edge returned with another nun in tow. The first nun looked at her and said, "Oh. Sister Mina, you're okay!"

Sister Mina sighed and said, "These three found me, Sister Belgemine. It seems that the monster took out many of our sisters…"

Axel thought about it and saw their exhaustion. 'They'll be a hindrance to us if they face the Scarmiglione,' he thought.

"Hey. We'll take it from here. You guys can go back to the abbey," Axel said.

"What? Why?" Sora and Reno asked.

"Well, they're too tired to fight and I don't want them to die," Axel replied.

The nuns nodded and understood what he meant. "We will take our leave. But," Sister Belgemine said.

She gave Axel Sister Mina's sigil and told him to use it against the Scarmiglione. After doing so, the two left.

"Okay, so…Who wants to face their death in front of an army of undead creatures?" Reno asked.

"Let's just go okay," Yuffie said, not comfortable in a graveyard.

The group walked through the graveyard and found not much of anything. A fog rolled in, covering the ground. Graves littered the area and many looked new. Hissing was heard and Vanitas turned to Sora.

"Stop that!" he yelled.

"I'm not doing anything!" Sora said.

The group kept walking and heard more hissing. "I said stop it!" Vanitas yelled.

"I'm really not doing anything," Sora told him.

After stopping in the center, the group heard one last hiss. "Something's coming," Edge said, pulling out his two katanas.

The others readied themselves and saw a figure in a brown, tattered cloak appear. It was hissing and said, "I am the oarsssman who will ferry you beyond the veil! I am the Blighted Dessspot, Scarmiglione. My children yearn to feed."

A variety of undead monsters that included Nosferatu, Revenants and Deathscythes appeared. Terrified, Reno and Axel immediately pulled out their sigils and yelled, "Suck lasers!"

The sigils produced harsh light that killed all the undead creatures with the exception of Scarmiglione. The monster, however, covered its face with the cloak. Yuffie, remembering what she saw earlier, yelled at Edge, "Use fire to burn that cloak!"

"Got it," Edge said.

He threw what looked like a small bomb and it hit its target. The flames that were produced were small and only served to annoy the monster.

Hissing, it said, "Breathe thisss and walk as the living dead!"

A poison mist spewed from its mouth and Vanitas yelled, "Sora!"

Sora nodded and the two summoned a gale to push back the mist. The mist moved just before it could affect everyone and hit the monster. Seeing the violent gale, Axel nodded at Reno and Reno smiled evilly.

"Ready?" Axel asked.

"Ready!" Reno yelled.

Axel and Reno summoned flames to their hands and didn't see that Yuffie and Edge ducked with Sora and Vanitas for cover. "Burn baby!" the two screamed.

Scarmiglione was caught in the flames, wrenching a loud wail from him. Once the flames died down, everyone saw that the monster was no longer there. Pleased with themselves, the Velazquez twins high fived themselves and walked to their teammates.

When they did, everyone heard, "Impressive. But my true strength liesss in death!"

The group turned and saw that the Scarmiglione had taken an even worse form. The cloak was gone, revealing a rotting corpse of a half-lion, half-human. Angered, the monster said, "Whoever ssseess this form must perisssh."

It attacked Yuffie, punching her in the face. She nearly passed out from it and Axel looked at Sora and Vanitas. "What?" Vanitas asked.

"Summon a tornado!" Axel ordered.

"Okay…" Sora said.

The Masumoto twins flew in the air and Reno told Edge to take care of Yuffie. He gave her a potion and the Velazquez twins suddenly burst into flames. Sora and Vanitas flew around in a circle, causing for the winds to move in the same manner. A small tornado formed, but it was enough for Axel's plan.

The Velazquez twins flew towards the tornado and saw that Sora and Vanitas left. "Okay! You wanna try that new move?" Axel asked.

"Uh…Wouldn't that get them caught in it too?" Reno asked.

Seeing that the Scarmiglione had resumed its attack on the others, Axel yelled, "We've no time! Just help me with the supernova!"

"Okay! Okay!" Reno said.

The two entered the tornado and yelled, "SUPERNOVA!"

The tornado became a fiery column of death, prompting screams from the others. The rest of the group started to run as the column was heading in their direction. The Scarmiglione saw it and began running for its undead life. To everyone's relief, but sadly for the monster, it was caught up and began burning horrifically in the flames.

As it did, Reno laughed evilly as he saw it struggle, "It's no use! It's no friken use! AH-HAH-HA-HA-HA-HA! AH-HA-HA-HA! AH-HA! It's no use!"

Axel looked at his brother and saw that he apparently had lost it. "Uh…" he tried to say.

"You're dead son! YOU'RE DEAD MR. MONSTER!" Reno screamed, apparently crazy.

The tornado died down and the two saw that Scarmiglione was nothing but ashes. Reno, however, kept flying around as a flaming ball. Axel stared at him and saw his brother scream, "I win! My win! Axel wins! Sora wins! The Goddess wins! AH-HA-HA-HA!"

To his dismay, Reno looked at him and the flaming man flew up to his brother. "Why are you staring at me?" he asked.

"Uh…" Axel started to say.

"WHY ARE YOU STARING AT ME?!" Reno screamed, shaking him and his flame body turning a bright blue color.

"I'm actually really scared right now! Oh my god!" Axel yelled, his flame body turning yellow.

"DON'T STOP…!" Reno screamed.

"Believing?" Axel asked.

Reno stopped shaking his twin and started laughing. "So, are you sane now?" Axel asked.

"Yep. Yep." Reno replied.

After the mission was over, the four said their goodbyes to Yuffie and Edge, who apparently was disturbed by Reno's rant.

* * *

_So, Reno lost it. Wonder why?_

_-miano53_


	24. Chapter Twenty Three

_Thank you to SoulNinjas for favoriting this story. Hopefully they'll stay unlike some readers…_

_-miano53_

* * *

"_Due to terrorist-like activities in the region, the southwestern continent nations of Palamecia and Gestahl have joined Archadia and Shinra to eradicate opposition for keeping the Specials on the same status as normal humans. The war is coming faster than we thought. Let us pray to the gods for our salvation."_

_-A priest in Mysidia_

Chapter Twenty Three: Tales of Autumn (Lucrecia)

_Sunday, September 16th, underground lab # 1…_

After hearing about the Velazquez odd mission a day prior, Lucrecia began working on checkups for the students. It was Aqua's turn and for some reason, she had an unwanted companion. That little companion was Marlene.

Marlene, who wanted Aqua to be with her as she wasn't a fan of needles, stayed as Aqua was getting her check up. Lucrecia was nearly finished when Marlene said, "Dr. Crescent, did you know that Aqua likes Terra?"

Lucrecia turned to look at the girl and Aqua was shocked that Marlene would boldly tell her that. So, in her head, she screamed, 'GAAAHHH!'

That caused for a thunderclap to be heard. A bit confused, Lucrecia said, "Um…no, I didn't know that."

After finishing the check up, Lucrecia began the booster shots on Marlene. The poor girl cried at first, but was comforted by Aqua. As she did that, Lucrecia thought, 'Wonder what was that thunderclap all about.'

* * *

_Outside, 15 miles from the school…_

Cloud was calmly riding his motorcycle, dubbed Fenrir I, and saw a sudden change in the weather. The clouds had darkened and rain drops started to fall.

"Huh?" he said.

Within seconds, a lightning bolt hit his motorcycle and the man jumped off. It was set ablaze and quickly exploded. "What the…? My ride!" he yelled.

He then walked home, dejected…

* * *

_Back indoors…_

After giving most of the students their checkups, Lucrecia saw that it was Terra's turn. He plopped on the table and she started the checkup. During her checking on Terra's power levels, Lucrecia said, "Did you know that Aqua likes you?"

"WHAT?" Terra screamed, surprised.

That caused for his power to spike and Lucrecia was worried. "Hmm…Well, based on this, you need to make sure you release your powers once every two weeks instead of three."

A loud thump was heard and Lucrecia paid it no mind. "Um…I-Is that it?" Terra asked, now nervous.

Lucrecia nodded and the young man left. 'Huh…Wonder why it spiked. Do they really like each other?' she thought.

* * *

_Outside, 30 seconds before Terra's surprised reaction…_

Cloud, still walking as Fenrir I was destroyed, sighed as he was depressed. "My bike…" he said.

He didn't noticed that a dark hole had opened up in the road and fell through. "WHOA!" he screamed and fell.

Cloud landed in the vestibule and crashed into one of the tables. After having a rough landing, he said, "Ow…"

* * *

_Later…_

After giving the students their checkups, Lucrecia was exhausted. She didn't want to do anything until the headmistress came into the lab. "Lucrecia, are you finished?" she asked.

"Yes. What do you need?" Lucrecia asked.

"Well, since we need all of our faculty ready for the coming war, I need you to change into your battle attire and report to the training room," Maria Theresa told her.

"Why? I'm just a healer. And I don't believe that war is coming," Lucrecia said.

"The news state otherwise," Maria Theresa said and left.

Lucrecia shook her head and said, "I'm not a person for battle…unless…"

Once arriving in the training room, Lucrecia (now in suitable battle attire) saw that Vincent was there. In the computer room, Maria Theresa told them, "This is practice on what can happen if the two of you were separated in battle. You must use all of your abilities if you are to survive. Shelke, start the simulation."

With hesitation, Shelke started a program she dubbed, "Mindflayers: Pissing you off since 1830."

The scenery in the room suddenly changed to the outside of a zoo. The animals had ran amuck and the cages were destroyed. Vincent immediately pulled out his gun and motioned for Lucrecia to follow him. She did and they entered the zoo.

When they did, the first to attack was an elephant. "Oh gods!" Lucrecia screamed.

Vincent shot at it, to Lucrecia's horror. "What are you…?" she yelled.

She then saw that he was hit by a swing of the elephant's trunk. He fell to the ground and Lucrecia yelped. The elephant started charging at her and the woman jumped out of the way.

It was about to charge again when Lucrecia used her power to subdue it. It calmed down and left them alone. After the battle, Vincent got up and saw that the elephant had started to walk away.

Lucrecia saw him and rushed over to him. "Why are all the animals going crazy like this?" she asked him.

Vincent looked around, in an attempt to zero in on the sound he heard. The sound was like a small whistle and it was coming from the zoo's office. They headed over there, dodging the occasional wild animal or two.

Once there, Lucrecia opened the door and the two entered. When they did, a high-pitched sound filled Vincent's ears and it caused massive pain due to another ability he had: enhanced hearing. He collapsed, holding his ears and started crying out in pain.

"Vincent? Vincent? Vincent!" Lucrecia yelled.

She couldn't hear the sound, but could sense where the sound was coming from. It was coming from the third floor. Lucrecia turned back to look at Vincent and saw that he was trembling. He then convulsed and scared Lucrecia.

She backed away and saw that he started to glow. The woman backed into a corner and saw that her colleague had started to slowly and painfully morph. The sounds of Vincent's pain-filled screams turned into growls. The growls were accompanied by the sound of muscles tearing and popping and bones breaking and twisting.

When the light died down, Lucrecia saw the Galian Beast. Due to the sound, the beast was confused, but filled with rage. He started destroying the room, in an attempt to find the source of the sound and didn't noticed Lucrecia's presence.

Noticing this, the woman ran up the stairs and headed to the third floor to find the source. After using her power to subdue the small animals that attempted to fight her, Lucrecia arrived in the third floor office.

She was finally able to hear it and heard a strange, high-pitched, pulsating whirr. It was annoying, but it didn't hurt her ears. The sound came from what looked like a small capsule in the room. When she came close to it, she was suddenly pushed back into a wall.

"Ow…" Lucrecia yelled, hitting her head.

Once she came to, she saw that the sound was coming from a monster called Mind Flayer. It used psychic abilities and attempted to use it to send Lucrecia in a bout of confusion. Lucrecia shielded herself by thinking to reverse it.

The confusing thoughts were sent back to the Mind Flayer and it was pushed back. Seeing that Lucrecia had psychic abilities, it used its own and lifted up some of the objects in the room. It threw a lamp and the woman ducked.

It then threw a stapler and she dodged again. Annoyed, it threw another lamp and some books. Lucrecia dodged the lamps but was hit in the back of the head by the books. That knocked her unconscious and the monster laughed at her pain.

It stopped when it heard a roar. The monster looked around and heard the roar again. It started to use telekinesis to lift the objects in the room and saw that the door was broken down by the Galian Beast.

The beast growled after seeing Lucrecia on the ground unconscious. Wanting to make the sound go away, the beast lunged at the Mind Flayer. The monster started sending the floating objects his way and the Galian Beast swiped at all of them. After the objects were destroyed, the beast charged at the Mind Flayer again.

The Mind Flayer stopped him in midair and started laughing. It then used telepathy to confuse the beast. That only served to anger him more and he broke out of the monster's mental grip. He then slashed it and used an attacked called Beast Flare on the monster.

When the attack hit, the Mind Flayer was destroyed. When it turned to ashes, the beast found the source of the sound, the staff left behind by the fiend, and destroyed it. The sound stopped and the Galian Beast roared with triumph.

The roar woke up Lucrecia. She looked around and saw that the Galian Beast was in the room. She screamed and immediately stopped herself. The beast turned to look at her and suddenly looked as if he was ashamed.

"Vincent…?" Lucrecia said.

The beast backed away and Lucrecia yelled, "I know about this. I was already told…"

Understanding her, the beast looked down and a light came from him. Once the light was gone, Vincent was back to normal. He looked guilt ridden and Lucrecia was about to say something when the simulation ended.

After it was over, Vincent left abruptly. "Vincent!" Lucrecia yelled.

He kept walking, seemingly ignoring Lucrecia. The man left the room, saddening Lucrecia.

* * *

_Hours later, 9 pm…_

Lucrecia, in her room, thought about what happened that day. 'Why would she have me fight a Mind Flayer on my own…Is she that worried about the war?' she thought.

She then looked down at a set of notes that she "acquired" from the headmistress's office. It was about Vincent and she saw a set of notes on the Galian Beast, Death Gigas, Hellmasker and Chaos forms the headmistress and her husband took over the years.

The amount of convulsions Vincent goes through before transforming was the factor in figuring out which form was to appear. Each, according to both Nathan and Maria Theresa, were certain parts of Vincent's (aka Chaos's) persona that had laid dormant over the years. The Galian Beast was the bestial side. The Death Gigas was the strength and not-so smart side. The Hellmasker was the sadistic and extremely intelligent side while Chaos was the embodiment of all three.

According to the notes, the forms appeared once at a time over the years and each form was mentally sealed. When Nathan died, the seals weakened, thus resulting in Vincent losing control of his powers until the proto-materia was restored.

After reading, the woman heard a noise coming from outside. She walked to the window and saw this…hulking brute slashing at the trees in the outer courtyards. "What in the…?" Lucrecia said.

She then, using her tele-empathy, forced him to stop. The brute began looking around, as if wondering where he got the thought from. Lucrecia was about to tell him to leave when Kairi and Naminé rushed into the room. They had a worried look on their faces and Kairi said to her, "Dr. Crescent, we think you should go downstairs."

"Why?" Lucrecia asked.

"Well, there's someone in the vestibule and everyone's rather suspicious," Naminé said.

The three headed for the vestibule and Lucrecia saw that Cloud, Tifa, Aqua, Terra, and many of the other students were in the area. She also saw that her son, Sephiroth had arrived at the manor. He apparently had left Shinra as he had what looked like an overnight bag and his katana.

The other students and staff stared at him and Lucrecia saw that Vincent wasn't there. 'Huh…I wonder where he is,' Lucrecia thought.

She saw that Maria Theresa was speaking with him and Cloud and Zack didn't look none too happy. "Aqua's granny, Sephiroth did try to kill us!" Zack yelled.

"I only did that under orders," Sephiroth said.

"Then why the sudden change of heart?" Maria Theresa asked him.

"I'm not going to serve a government that destroys its own citizens," Sephiroth told her.

Reading his mind, Maria Theresa found that he was…telling the truth. "And you need a place to stay as Shinra froze all your assets?" the headmistress asked.

Sephiroth nodded and Cloud yelled, "Oh c'mon! He did try to kill us!"

"Well, isn't that the same thing that you nearly did, Cloud?" Terra asked.

Cloud, remembering what happened when he first met Vincent, was silenced. He grumbled and left the room. The other students did the same, leaving only Sephiroth, Lucrecia and Maria Theresa.

When he noticed her, he said, "So, this was where you went to?"

"Yes…" Lucrecia told him.

"Well, here's the key to your room. Breakfast is always at 7:30 for the older students and faculty," Maria Theresa told him, gave him the key and left.

After she left, Lucrecia asked her son, "Why did you really leave Shinra?"

Sephiroth sighed and said, "I found out that Hojo…"

"He is your father," Lucrecia said.

"Fine…I found out that…Father…was involved in other projects to create another…me. A Sephiroth 2.0...or something of that nature," Sephiroth said.

Lucrecia's face blanched and Sephiroth asked, "You knew about this?"

"No…I just realized why your father had the embryos frozen…I originally thought if I had lost you in the womb, we would just use another.." Lucrecia said.

"So, you hadn't a clue?" Sephiroth asked.

"No," Lucrecia said, shaking her head.

Sephiroth sighed and then left, heading for his new room. After he was gone, Lucrecia could sense that the brute from before didn't leave the garden. Sensing something familiar about him, she left him alone and went back to bed.

* * *

_The next day, Monday, September 18th…_

After getting breakfast and noticing that Vincent hadn't came down (and it was 10 in the morning), Lucrecia headed to his room. There on the first floor, she opened the slightly opened door and saw that the window was open. Vincent was under the covers and didn't move an inch. The sound of his quiet breathing was heard and Lucrecia thought, 'He still can't sleep without the window open…or the door…Just like at Shinra Manor…and in Giruvegan.'

She stepped in the room and closed the window. Within seconds, she immediately regretted it. Vincent woke up and suddenly pointed Cerberus at her. He glared at her with now glowing red eyes and all Lucrecia could say was, "M-morning."

"Morning?" Vincent asked.

"Yes…it's morning…Um, can you put the gun down?" Lucrecia told him.

Vincent did and his eyes went back to normal. "Um…coffee's downstairs," Lucrecia said and left.

Hours later in the second of the underground labs, Lucrecia saw that Naminé had came in. "What's wrong? Bored again?" Lucrecia asked.

Naminé nodded and said, "And I kinda wanna know what else happened. Like, why does Vincent have claustrophobia? And why was he so…violent?"

"Well, what I remember was that his parents they…weren't the best. They were so wrapped up in revenge that they experimented on him to create a super weapon, starting when he was only a few months old…" Lucrecia said.

The two immediately saw a bright light and screamed, "Oh god!"

When the light died down, they saw that an orb of light was in the room. Naminé picked it up and the light began showing them images of the times of Mollech-Kittim. Apparently the images was that of someone's perspective.

Naminé, due to her ability, picked up her notepad and started drawing. What she drew was that of a woman looking at a young boy sealed inside of a glass chamber. The boy looked distraught and was attacking the glass in an attempt to escape. The woman's face was that of a sad one.

After Naminé was finished, the orb began reacting to her, revealing itself to be a memory sphere. "Huh…" she said and started paying attention to the image.

* * *

_Memory sphere images, Long ago, Mollech-Kittim era, unknown facility mountains near the Feywood…_

_After years of experiments and waiting for any external change to occur, Zemus, a former top weapons scientist of Giruvegan, finally saw the transformation he wanted. Standing with other banished l'Cie, they saw the transformation and were pleased._

_After repeatedly electrocuting him for hours on end, the child contained in the small, sealed glass chamber had started trembling and fell to the bottom of the capsule in pain. His little body had started getting larger and his skin had darkened many shades. Within moments, his muscle mass increased and his bones became more dense._

_Fangs bared from his mouth and his hands turned into claws, as well as his bare feet. His hair immediately turned into what looked like a red and black headdress and his skin had turned to colors of black and red. His eyes had turned fully red and bat-like wings burst from his back._

_When the transformation was over, the people in the room saw that they had their weapon and named him Chaos. Chaos started slashing at the glass and roared loudly at the people._

_Zemus looked and said, "We now have our weapon. The Fal'Cie will now have to fear!"_

_Chaos started punching at the glass and it started to crack. Seeing this, Zemus pressed a button on the console and pressed it. A mist seeped into the capsule and Chaos started choking on it. He then passed out._

_After the beast passed out, Zemus pressed another button and the capsule was placed back into a machine seemingly in the far wall. The group then left the room. Zemus did the same and saw his wife, Shemhazai. She looked at him and said, "So, you've turned our second son into a weapon…."_

"_You know why we had to. We had no choice," Zemus told her._

"_Did we?" Shemhazai said._

"_Do I detect hesitation? Because from what I remember, you wanted revenge as much as I did that day," Zemus told her._

"_But I didn't know that you would use our son…take him when he's just three months old…" Shemhazai told him._

"_But it will be worth it…All of it…" Zemus told her._

_He then walked away, leaving his wife in the halls._

* * *

"So…he really was experimented on…" Naminé said.

"I think they're more," Lucrecia said.

* * *

_Two days later, and hours after another round of experiments, Shemhazai came into the empty lab room and pressed a button on the console. The machine in the far wall released the capsule that held Chaos in. He was in human form and was sleeping._

_Shemhazai was saddened and said, "I'm sorry it had to come to this…I should've objected, but I didn't know he was going to use you."_

_Chaos woke up and saw his birth mother speaking. He barely recognized her and started growling. "You really haven't a clue who I am…I wouldn't be surprised…" Shemhazai said._

_She then started to see that his fangs were bared and his eyes were red. He tilted his head and it looked as if he wanted to destroy her. The l'Cie sighed and pressed another button on the console. That opened the capsule and Chaos jumped out._

_He calmed down and saw that Shemhazai was sad. "Go…Go before they find out that you've escaped," she said to him._

_Since he was finally out after being caged since he could remember, Chaos bolted for the halls. After he left, Shemhazai walked away, crying the whole time._

_In the halls, one of the banished l'Cie noticed that Chaos had escaped from the capsule. When he tried to warn the others, he was on the receiving end of the rage Chaos held. The l'Cie was promptly beaten near death._

_Some of the others heard and started running towards Chaos's location. He found a vent that he could go through and jumped up to it. He then opened it and hid._

_The boy saw Zemus and did everything in his power to stop from growling. "Who did this?" one of them asked._

"_Based on the claw marks and how his face was nearly caved in, it was Chaos," Zemus said._

"_How did he escape?" another l'Cie said._

"_I don't know," Zemus said._

"_You trust us to find him in your stead?" the third of the l'Cie asked._

"_I trust that you know what will happen if you fail!" Zemus yelled._

_The l'Cie ran off and Chaos started crawling through the vents. Zemus heard him and smirked._

_After several minutes climbing through the vents, Chaos found an opening that led outside. He kicked the vent open and jumped out onto the snow. When he did, he found that Zemus and the other l'Cie had found him._

"_Well, it seems that you managed to escape. But you will not go any further," Zemus told him._

_Chaos started growling and Zemus said, "I would suggest that you go back inside. You haven't a clue about the outside world…"_

_He then ordered for the l'Cie to capture him. They walked over him with stun guns at the ready. Chaos immediately felt pain through his body and felt something move on his back. He collapsed and wings burst through his back. He once again changed into his weapon form (the gargoyle-like creature) and roared at them._

_Zemus was about to order for the l'Cie to take Chaos down when he flew off. In disappointment, he yelled at the l'Cie._

* * *

"So, that's how he came to Giruvegan…and…he hated, and still hates, enclosed spaces because of that…" Lucrecia said.

"Huh…There's more," Naminé said.

The two saw that the images had changed to that of Lord Vishnu's compound. It then transitioned to what looked like to Lucrecia the basement of Brunhilda and Ifrit's home.

"Oh no…Naminé…I suggest you leave," Lucrecia told her.

"Why?" Naminé asked.

"Just go…You'll have nightmares if you do," Lucrecia said.

"No. I'll be fine. What's so bad about it?" Naminé told her.

"Well, you know how I told you that Chao didn't speak until a certain event happened?" Lucrecia asked her.

"Yes," Naminé said.

"This is that event…and it was, from what I was told, horrible…" Lucrecia said.

* * *

_The scenery changed to that of a basement and Chao (now wearing the servant's attire of the compound and a metallic armguard that covered his scar from a dog attack the previous year) was now seven. He was assigned to clean the basement of the home by Brunhilda who wanted to do some spring cleaning. He silently went downstairs of the one floor home and had a few garbage bags with him. Rubber gloves covered his hands and he looked prepared for cleaning...somewhat._

_So, he started cleaning up the parts of the basement assigned. He started throwing away old detergent bottles, boxes and the occasional dryer lint. After a while, he started getting bored and started playing with the trash by kicking it. As he kicked around the bottles, Chao heard something._

_The sound was of something squeaking and curiosity took over Chao's mind. He headed for the sound and saw that the mouse was behind the dryer. With lightning fast reflexes, he grabbed the mouse before it could escape. The mouse squirmed in his grip and began squeaking loudly._

_Due to Chao being a semi-weapon, a desire to destroy it overcame him. He squeezed the life out of the mouse and it died. His eyes began glowing a bright red and he could sense more mice in the basement. With destructive desire, he lunged at the mice, killing as many as he could._

_Brunhilda heard something happening the basement and headed downstairs to check on her adoptive son. What she saw scared her. She saw that Chao's glove covered hands and parts of his face were now bloodied. His fangs were now bared and his eyes were glowing a bright red. The image of her adoptive son like that reaffirmed that he was indeed a weapon._

_So, she did only what she could do. She ran. Chao heard someone running up the steps and came out of his bloodlust. He dropped the last mouse in the third garbage bag and took off the gloves. He then headed upstairs, oblivious to the stains of blood on his face and arms._

_When he arrived, he saw that Ifrit was in the living room and Brunhilda was nowhere to be found. He looked at Chao and saw his condition. He looked stunned and said, "She was right…"_

_Chao looked at him, confused. "Come here," Ifrit said._

_He led Chao into the kitchen and gave the boy a wet paper towel. "Wipe your face…You have…something on your face…" Ifrit told him._

_Chao wiped his face and saw red stains on the towel. He kept wiping until Ifrit told him to stop. Once he did, Ifrit said, "Why did you kill the mice?"_

_Chao said nothing and just looked at the man. "Brunhilda was upset…" Ifrit said, hoping to get through the boy._

_After two years of saying nothing to anyone, Chao said in a small voice, "Why? It was just mice…"_

_Ifrit looked at him, shocked that the boy spoke. "You said that…the mice…were bad…" Chao said._

_Ifrit came out of his shock and said, "Yes…but we don't…"_

"_But you do kill them. That poison stuff…You leave it out…" Chao said._

"_But…we don't kill them the way you did," Ifrit said._

_Chao was silent and had a puzzled look on his face. "Brunhilda told me that you…ripped the mice apart with your bare hands…Why?" Ifrit said._

"…_The mice…They're bad…" Chao said._

_Ifrit sighed and said, "Yes, they do spread disease, but…you can't destroy small animals because you're bored…There are other things that you can do."_

_Chao looked a bit sad and Ifrit said, "We'll think of something, but you can't kill small animals. Do you understand?"_

_Chao nodded and seemingly understood what he said._

* * *

Naminé looked sick and so did Lucrecia. "So that's what happened? I only heard that he did something crazy…" Lucrecia said.

"I don't wanna watch anymore…" Naminé said, covering her eyes.

The two saw that Aqua had came in and she saw that the entire room looked like a sphere theatre. "What is…?" she said.

Naminé then rushed over to her and hugged her. "What's going on?" Aqua asked.

The images from the orb changed to that of when Lakshmi was nine and Chao were ten. "Oh no…I remember this…" Lucrecia said.

"I don't wanna look!" Naminé said, trying not to cry.

"Naminé, draw it or else it'll get stuck in your memory," Aqua said.

Naminé rushed over to her drawing pad and started drawing what she saw. She kept drawing, now feeling better. The images changed to that of Lakshmi and Lucrecia's face paled.

* * *

_Lakshmi, now nine, had headed to Brunhilda and Ifrit's home to tell Chao that dinner was ready, since Brunhilda and Ifrit had headed out for their anniversary. Once she was there, she heard the sound of something falling to the ground. It was coming from Chao's room and Lakshmi slowly crept up to it._

_She peeked through the crack in the doorway and saw that Chao was on the ground, trembling. She was about to come in when she heard his moans of pain turn to growls. His muscles started to bulge and grow to unnatural sizes, tearing parts of his clothes. His hands and feet had turned into claws and something started to bulge from his back._

_His skin had turned to colors of red and black and the skin grew over his clothes. Within seconds, wings protruded from his back and whatever was left of him was gone. The weapon roared and flew out of the window, breaking it._

_Lakshmi, shocked at what she saw, slumped to the floor and heard Brunhilda and Ifrit entering the home. "Chao, we're home! I brought you back some dessert…but your father kinda ate some of it," Brunhilda said._

_When they heard there was no response or even a thump, they headed further into the home and saw that Lakshmi was at the door. She looked scared and Brunhilda asked, "What's wrong?"_

"_Chao…he…" was all Lakshmi could say._

_Brunhilda opened up the door and Chao wasn't in his room. The window was broken and pieces of cloth was on the floor. "Oh no…" she said._

"_What? What was that he turned into?" Lakshmi asked._

"_He what?" Ifrit asked._

"_He changed…" Lakshmi said._

_The three immediately heard a roar of pure fury coming from outside and rushed out. They saw that Chaos was in the skies, flying around the compound. He had a red and black mist seeping from him and the aura began distorting the air. The others on the compound heard the roar and went outside._

_They saw Chaos and started screaming, cursing, "What the heck is that?"_

_Chaos roared again and a wave of energy was released. That knocked down everyone in the vicinity and the weapon flew off, heading towards the Great Crystal. Brunhilda was the first to get up and jumped in one of the air cars to follow._

_Ifrit and Lakshmi jumped in the car as well and the three followed Chaos. He flew at high speeds making it hard to follow. After several minutes of dodging other air traffic and night birds, the three saw that Chaos had landed on what looked like the roof of one of the temples._

_He noticed them following him and released a beam of dark energy. "Jump!" Ifrit yelled._

_The three jumped out of the car and the vehicle was destroyed. Miraculously, they landed on the rooftop and Chaos didn't attack them. Instead, he stared at them, as if wondering who they were._

_Brunhilda noticed this and said, "Chao…you're still in there, right?"_

_The weapon stared at the woman and did nothing. "You're in there…You can hear me, right?" Brunhilda asked._

_Chaos still stared at her and when she was close enough, he started growling. "Hilda…" Ifrit said, worried._

"_Chao…it's okay…I'm not going to harm you…" Brunhilda said._

_The weapon began backing away and Brunhilda said, "I'm not going to harm you."_

_Chaos stopped and suddenly looked up towards the sky. The three did the same and saw that Neo Bahamut had attacked. He had unleashed what looked like a Flare attack and it hit Chaos._

_The blast exploded on contact and sent Brunhilda, Lakshmi and Ifrit flying off the roof. They thought they were going to fall to their deaths when something caught them. When they landed on the ground, Brunhilda saw that Chaos had managed to survive the attack and catch them._

_The beast collapsed onto the ground and was wheezing. No longer frightened and now very worried, Brunhilda said, "Oh no…You…saved us…You understood…"_

_Neo Bahamut had landed near them and saw that Chaos had reverted back to his human form. He looked at the scared Lakshmi and worried Ifrit and Brunhilda. When Ifrit noticed his presence, he yelled, "What did you do that for?"_

"_He aimed to attack the Great Crystal. I could not allow that, not even for a child…" Neo Bahamut said, changing to his human form._

_The leader of the Fal'Cie looked at Lakshmi and asked, "What was the cause for the transformation?"_

"_I don't know. I was just trying to get him to come for dinner when…I found him in his room, changing…" Lakshmi said, nearly crying._

"_Then the transformation was unwanted…He will have to have nethicite on him at all times until he learns to control it. We cannot have anymore incidents," Neo Bahamut said._

_Brunhilda saw that Chao had passed out and picked him up. "He will have to have the surgery then…" she said._

* * *

"Wow…Sad…" Aqua said.

"What was the surgery?" Naminé asked.

"He was implanted with nethicite on his back. It prevent the transformations, but it did nothing for any sudden changes in his persona and it gave him back pain," Lucrecia said.

"So…do you think it has any affect on him now?" Aqua asked.

"No…From what I know, Hojo didn't implant anything like that in Vincent…" Lucrecia replied.

After the last image, the orb's light died down and it became dormant. "I'll give this to Shelke. She'll know what to do with it," Aqua said, taking the orb.

Aqua left, leaving Naminé and Lucrecia in the lab.

* * *

_Hours later, 11 pm…_

After the students and some of the faculty went to bed, Lucrecia, in her room, heard noises coming from the gardens again. She looked outside and saw the brute from before. Knowing who it was, Lucrecia headed outside and towards the gardens.

In the outer courtyards, she saw that the brute had started using his axe as a shovel. 'What on earth…?' Lucrecia thought.

The brute grunted and hauled away the dirt that was on the axe. "Haul the dirt…Haul the dirt…" he said, almost childlike.

Lucrecia stifled a giggle as the brute really did sound like a big kid. 'I guess they forgot to add his childlike demeanor in this form…' she thought, now giggling.

The brute turned around and started looking in Lucrecia's direction. Since she was hiding, he didn't see her, but he could hear her. Within moments, he went back to digging.

'He really could use a shovel…' Lucrecia thought.

The sound of a thump was heard and Lucrecia saw that he was pulling out something from the ground. It was a box and it had a large lock on it. The brute started using his axe to hack at the lock. As he did, Lucrecia accidentally leaned too far into the rose bushes.

"Ow!" she yelled, getting scratched up by the thorns.

The brute heard her and saw her. "Oh crap…" Lucrecia muttered.

The brute, revealed to be the Death Gigas, lurked towards her. Now getting up, Lucrecia said, "Vincent! Vincent! It's just me! Calm down."

The Death Gigas looked at her and looked a bit confused. "Vincent…you're…asleep? You're sleepwalking?" Lucrecia asked.

The brute immediately ignored her and headed back to whacking at the lock. Using her ability, she started sending thoughts to wake Vincent up. The gigas dropped the axe and it disappeared, turning back into the Cerberus. The gigas's shape changed, turning back into Vincent.

After turning back to normal, Vincent woke up and realized that he was in the gardens. Lucrecia saw his confusion and asked, "Um…Vincent?"

Vincent turned to look at her and asked, "Where…? Lucrecia?"

"Yes. Did you know that you were digging…in your sleep…in that Death Gigas form?" Lucrecia asked.

He looked guilt-ridden and shook his head. "Well, what's in the box?" Lucrecia asked him.

"I…don't know," Vincent replied.

Lucrecia went over to the box and saw that it was in the old language of Giruvegan. "Oh you found it!" someone said.

Vincent and Lucrecia saw that Maria Theresa had found them. She looked at the two and said, "Vincent, you found the box. Thank you. I'll take it."

She then used her telekinesis and carried the box back inside. After she left, Vincent became suspicious of her again. Lucrecia also became suspicious and thought, 'So…did she…? No…She wouldn't do that…'

* * *

_So, there is more suspicion about Maria Theresa. What will happen next? Will we ever find out why Maria Theresa is acting funny? Review?_

_-miano53_


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